Leave it to Fate
by PaLM TRee 101
Summary: Lizzie, Miranda, and Gordo were best friends as babies that is until Gordo moved away at age 3. Now he's moving back, what's going to happen? LG
1. Default Chapter

Summary: Lizzie McGuire, David "Gordo" Gordon, and Miranda Sanchez were best friends as babies; that is until Gordo moved away at age 3... now he's moving back, what will happen? L/G all the way.   
  
A 2 1/2-year-old Lizzie McGuire snuggled in under the cozy blankets of her crib, several memories of the past day flashing into her young mind. Memories of playing in the sandbox with Gordo and Miranda, and a snapping sound and bright lights every couple seconds. Her mom had sad something about pictures, and how she'd love them when she got older. She thought about her two best friends and how much fun they had had that day, and how much fun they'd have tomorrow, and the day and the day after that, and every day until forever. A smile crept onto the child's face as she drifted into a peaceful, happy slumber.   
  
**-Next Morning-**  
  
Jo McGuire quietly opened the door of the light pink room and looked around. To her right, a changing table stood with several overly loved teddy bears, and countless pieces of paper filled with Lizzie's most recent masterpieces.   
  
To her left was a white dresser, containing many of the baby girl's adorable spring and summer outfits. There were a few pictures on the top of the dresser, most of Lizzie and her parents, 2 or 3 of them, however were of her most cherished friends, Gordo and Miranda.   
  
Jo walked over to the dresser and glanced at the pictures. There was one of Lizzie, her, and her husband, Sam at her parent's barbecue last fall. Another was Lizzie at the park sitting on the grass with a red Popsicle stain on her already rosy cheeks. Jo smiled and picked up the third picture. It was of Lizzie and Gordo at Lizzie's second birthday party. The pair were holding hands, grinning broadly, standing on Gordo's front lawn, staring at each other as if nothing else existed.   
  
A contented sigh from the crib interrupted Jo's thoughts, and she looked over at her waking daughter. Lizzie rolled over lightly and gently started to awaken. The baby squinted and blinked as the comforting sunshine flooded into her eyes.   
  
Jo reached over the edge of the crib and lifted her daughter into her arms.   
  
"Good morning, sweetie, ready for breakfast?," she smiled.   
  
"Beck-fast!," Lizzie yelled. The girl giggled and her blonde curls bounced around on her head.   
  
Jo laughed and carried Lizzie downstairs and into the kitchen.   
  
The kitchen was off-white in color, with white trim lacing the windowsills and countertops.   
  
Jo put Lizzie down in her high chair and opened the refrigerator door to find a suitable breakfast for the growing child.   
  
Lizzie, even though she had been in the same kitchen, sitting in the same highchair everyday of her young like, never seemed to get enough of it. Her surroundings always fascinated her; from the refrigerator and the counter, to all of the fruits and vegetables.  
  
Jo came over, put a cup of strawberry yogurt in front of the child, and proceeded to feed her spoon after spoon, much to Lizzie's delight.   
  
The phone rang somewhere in the next room, and Jo let Lizzie finish off the current spoonful before going to get it.   
  
Once she was gone, Lizzie resumed her close examination of the room, starting with the especially yummy pink stuff in front of her. The spoon was covered in yogurt, and the handle was sticking out of the bowl. The toddler brought her hand down on the stem of the spoon and sent yogurt flying across the room and into Jo's face as she walked in!   
  
Lizzie saw this and shrieked with laughter at her mother's shocked expression.  
  
_I must have the happiest girl in the world_, thought Jo.   
  
She smiled and washed the yogurt off her face and took the giggling girl back upstairs to get dressed.   
  
"Guess who we're going to see today, cutie?," Jo asked her daughter as she slipped a white T-shirt over the child's blonde head.   
  
"'Anda and Gordo?," replied a hopeful Lizzie.   
  
Jo scooped Lizzie into the air and spun her around. The young girl giggled, laughed, and made "whirring" airplane sounds.   
  
"That's right! Miranda and Gordo."  
  
Once Lizzie's outfit was complete, she looked even more adorable, with bright white sandals, light pink capris, and a white shirt; oh, and we can't forget about the pink barrette holding her curls away from her face.   
  
Just as Jo had finished putting Lizzie's shoes on, the door opened downstairs and a woman's voice rang through the air.   
  
"Hey Jo, I'm just dropping Gordo off, I have to go down to the store today," Mrs. Gordon called.  
  
Jo poked her head out of Lizzie's room and waved a hello and goodbye to her dear friend. She then smiled when she saw the young boy bounding up the stairs of her house to see his best friend.   
  
The small boy smiled up at Jo, and said good morning. Jo smiled back down at him and directed him into the light pink room.   
  
When Lizzie saw him, her face lit up in delight and she quickly ran over and enveloped him in a huge hug. Jo laughed and left the pair to go downstairs and clean the yogurt from the kitchen floor.  
  
2-1/2 year old Gordo looked over at Lizzie.   
  
"Are we going to the park today, Gordo?," Lizzie asked.  
  
"If you want to, I think we should," Gordo sweetly replied.  
  
Lizzie grinned and kissed Gordo's cheek.   
  
Jo, who was returning upstairs to the children with a camera, snapped a picture at the very moment.   
  
_ Another perfect Kodak moment for the scrapbook_, she happily thought.   
  
"C'mon kids, we're meeting Miranda at the park!"  
  
Gordo and Lizzie cheered and ran downstairs to wait eagerly by the front door.   
  
Jo began to unload the car and unbuckle the padded car seats. The two curly-haired children slid out of the backseat, both positively beaming in the morning sunlight.   
  
The park they were at was a complete paradise for anyone, young or old. For the children, there was a sandbox, and a jungle gym, complete with a slide, monkey bars, and several swings. There was also, of course, a mini rope structure, and a seesaw, which many children absolutely adored.   
  
The two toddlers waited patiently by the car and watched Jo take the ice chest and picnic blankets out of the light blue minivan.   
  
Another car pulled up behind the McGuire's, and Mrs. Sanchez and a smiling Miranda came out.   
  
The group walked down the tree-covered path from the street to the middle of the park. The three young children skipped in front of the two women linked at the elbows, stopping only to pick and smell any of the variously colored flowers on the side of the path.   
  
**-1 hour later-**  
  
Mrs. Gordon had joined the outing and the six people were sitting down to eat lunch. Mrs. Sanchez gave the kids juice boxes and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, followed by chocolate ice cream ops for desert.   
  
Lizzie, Miranda, and Gordo grinned as they began to suck on the pops. Lizzie's dripped onto her shirt, and left a chocolate trail down her front. The young girl thought the shirt was ruined and she began to cry.   
  
Gordo heard Lizzie crying and immediately turned to face her, a concerned look on his face. His eyes saw the chocolate stain on her shirt. He took her hand.  
  
"Lizzie don't cry," he said "That's what the washing machine is for!"   
  
Lizzie smiled, and the three moms stared, Jo's hand flew to her mouth.   
  
"That's so sweet," she whispered.   
  
**-6 months later-**  
  
It was Lizzie's third birthday, and the girl had never been more thrilled. She ran down the stairs into her parent's arms. She had her favorite breakfast, opened her presents, and Jo helped her get dressed for Gordo's house.   
  
Lizzie was excited. She hadn't seen Gordo in a week, which was definitely a record for the pair. The most they had gone without seeing each other was two, maybe three days at the most, and even then the two children missed each other terribly.   
  
The Gordons were on a vacation for the past week, but they always had Lizzie's birthday at their house.   
  
Lizzie sat in her car seat and looked over at her brother, Matt. He was a year old now, and even though the ride to Gordo's house was less than five minutes, he had fallen asleep.   
  
"There yet, Mommy?" Lizzie asked, eager to see her best friend again.   
  
"Almost, dear," Jo replied. She too was awaiting their arrival at the Gordon's household, having not seen her best friend in so long. She had talked to them; of course, Mrs. Gordon had called almost every day to tell them how great New York was.   
  
They said they were going to Mrs. Gordon's sister's beach house in upstate New York, just as a getaway for a couple of days.   
  
Once, Jo needed to ask her friend about the pre-school the three toddlers would be attending next fall, but she couldn't find the phone number.   
  
They pulled into the driveway and Jo took Lizzie out of the backseat and went to the door, knowing her husband, Sam would be right behind her with Matt.   
  
"Is 'Anda coming, Mommy?" Lizzie asked.  
  
"Of course sweetie, she'll be here in an hour."   
  
The birthday girl nodded her head in approval.  
  
Jo knocked on the door and turned the knob; the three families were so close, they usually just let themselves in.   
  
It was locked.   
  
"Strange," Jo muttered.  
  
She rang the bell and shifted Lizzie to her other arm. An elderly woman answered the door with a frown.   
  
"I heard you knock, it's not as easy to move when you're this old, you know," she stated, still frowning.   
  
"I'm terribly sorry, I didn't know you were here," Jo apologized.   
  
The woman raised an eyebrow.   
  
"Do I know you, Miss?" she asked.   
  
"We're friends of the Gordons, it's my daughters birthday, we usually come here to celebrate, are they home?" Jo made a mental note to call before they came next time.   
  
The woman just stared.   
  
"The Gordons? I'm sorry dear, they moved away a week ago."  
  
"They what?" Jo whispered in shock.   
  
"What's going on here?" Sam questioned; he looked from the woman to the hurt expression on his wife's face, back to the woman again.   
  
"Your friends," the woman explained, "they moved to Chicago last week."   
  
"Chicago? I thought they were going to New York," Sam reasoned, "THEY MOVED?"   
  
"I moved in last week sir, I'm sorry." The woman gave the bewildered family a sympathetic look.  
  
Sam uttered a word Lizzie had never heard before, and her brow crinkled with concern.   
  
"Where's Gordo?" She looked at her mother.  
  
Jo was still speechless. She blinked and looked at her daughter.  
  
"They're gone" 


	2. A Trip Down Memory Lane

Disclaimer: Sorry I forgot this in the first chapter!!! I own nothing.  
  
Hey guys I'm back, I just finished this chapter 2 seconds ago and I wanted to post it as soon as I could, let me know what you think!! Here it is...

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Chapter 2- A Trip Down Memory Lane  
  
A loud clap of thunder and a bright flash of lightning hurtled down from the sky and Lizzie McGuire sat up in bed. She looked over to her nightstand at her fluorescent clock.   
  
3:12 AM.   
  
Lizzie groaned and rolled her eyes. She fell backwards into her pillow and tried to fall back asleep.  
  
After 10 minutes of unwillingly lying awake she reluctantly got out of bed in search of a way to occupy herself until she was tired enough to go back to sleep.   
  
She opened her closet doors and sat down on the floor, milling through all of the junk she had thrown down there in the past years.   
  
"I should really clean this thing out sometime," the girl mused.   
  
The girl was shifting over puzzles, and board games, through old school notebooks and magazines, when something caught her eye.  
  
It was a relatively large book, it was very dark in her room, so she couldn't tell exactly what color it was.   
  
A smile of recognition crept over the blonde's face as she realized what it was. It was a photo album. The McGuires took pictures anywhere and everywhere they went, whether it was a get together for dinner at a friends house, or a genuinely picture worthy vacation. There must have been a hundred albums in the McGuire household; each filled to the brim with pictures.   
  
Lizzie eagerly grabbed the photo album out of her closet and jumped onto her bed. She clicked on her light and sat cross-legged, pulling the album onto her lap.   
  
She didn't remember which album this was. She was sure she'd looked through all of the albums in the house; except the one's in Matt's room maybe...   
  
It was summer. Lizzie was 14 years old, fresh out of school for the year. Well, after tomorrow anyway, but how much can the last half-day count anyway?   
  
Lizzie McGuire gently opened the front cover, her eyes scanning the first page. There weren't any pictures on it. Instead, there was an envelope sealed on the page. She pulled back the page's protective covering and took out the envelope. Confused, she opened it, and took out the piece of paper inside.   
  
_ Dear Lizzie,  
_  
_If you have gone this deep into your closet, you either need more sleep, or you have to go finish your homework right now!_   
  
Lizzie rolled her eyes at how well her mom knew her. She read on.   
  
_These are pictures of you and your old friends, Miranda and Gordo. I don't know if you remember them, but we've told you many stories. Maybe these will help you feel better, sweetie.   
  
Love,   
  
Mom and Dad_  
  
She nodded. There was always something about those stories that bothered her. Something just wasn't right. She tried to remember.   
  
She could always remember a park, little tidbits of conversation, two brunette heads, and a lot of laughing, but that was about it.   
  
Lizzie sighed. It always seemed weird to her. Three best friends, so unbelievably close that nothing could ever part them- yet something did.   
  
It also bothered her girl that out of all those days they were together, the only one she could remember was her third birthday, the worst day of them all.   
  
It had begun so well, like a birthday should; happiness, family, friends... And then, all of a sudden, her young world came to a screeching halt. She remembered that moment vividly, in her mother's arms on the Gordons 'ex-front porch.' Jo's words echoed through her head. "They're gone."  
  
Lizzie shivered and gingerly turned the page of the album. Her eyes skimmed over the pictures and a smile snuck its way onto her face.   
  
The first picture was of her and Gordo. She was kissing his cheek, and he was sporting an ear-to-ear grin. There was a caption on the side of the picture, in Jo's handwriting. Lizzie looked down the page to see that all of the pictures had short narrations. The first one was simple:   
  
"How cute."  
  
There was another picture underneath it, of Lizzie, Miranda, and Gordo. Lizzie smiled, they were so young. The caption on this one was painfully ironic:  
  
"Three best friends. Together forever."  
  
Lizzie bit her lip. _Yeah,_ she thought, _together forever. I wish.  
_  
She continued looking through the album, reviewing memory after memory. Wow, she thought again, this has more history than my textbook.  
  
Towards the 3/4 point in the album, Lizzie was so happy you would have thought the trio were still friends. She was giggling ad closing her eyes, trying to remember anything about the pictures. A few scattered details came into her mind, and she was positively thrilled.   
  
She neared the end, and turned a page, eager for more.   
  
There was only one picture on the page. It was taken on the morning of her third birthday. 3-year-old Lizzie McGuire was standing by the car door waiting to go to Gordo's, completely unaware of the heartache about to befall her.  
  
A single tear ran down the teenager's cheek when she realized that for the past half-hour she had been reliving a fantasy. It was too good to be true. She suddenly missed Miranda and Gordo dearly for the first time in her life. The hole in her heart that she had tried so desperately to fill was reopening.   
  
The rest of the pages were blank.   
  
_Figures,_ She thought.   
  
She wiped the tear off of her cheek and turned off her light. She curled up under the blankets.   
  
Lizzie looked out of the window next to her bed at the house next door. The house was unusually close, and one of the rooms on the second floor jutted out of the house, and came only a foot away from Lizzie's window.   
  
She sighed, the people who lived there never used that room, and once or twice, when they were out, Lizzie had snuck in a few times, just to look around. She could stop through the window with no problem at all. It wasn't very interesting, just your regular old, ordinary deserted room, filled with boxes.   
  
Lizzie drifted off to sleep, dreaming about Miranda and Gordo.   
  
It wasn't like she was an outcast at school who had to dream about friends to make herself happy. No, it wasn't like that at all. Lizzie had made many friends over the years, none however, as close to her heart as Miranda and Gordo had once been.

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Lizzie was shocked, completely and totally shocked. She ran up the stairs, tears streaming down her cheeks. She ran into her room and slammed the door, then proceed to bury herself headfirst into a bean bag chair on the floor. The small girl was sobbing and shaking softly.   
  
"They're gone, gone, gone, gone."  
  
Thunder cracked again and Lizzie jolted up in bed...again. She shuddered at the memory of that horrible day. She looked at her clock again.   
  
4:58 AM.   
  
Lizzie pursed her lips in disgust. She obviously wasn't going to get any sleep for the rest of the night. Morning. Whatever.   
  
"Mom!!" she had to know. Now.   
  
A few moments later, a very disheveled Jo McGuire raced into the room, her hair sticking up at odd angles, her eyes half closed from being shaken from her dreams.   
  
"Lizzie honey what's wrong, are you ok? You're not hurt are you?"  
  
"I'm fine, I'm fine," Lizzie reassured her mother, "but I need to know something, and I need to know it now."   
  
Jo was slightly taken aback. Lizzie was usually calm and collected, incredibly sweet; not demanding or protesting in any way.  
  
"Anything, sweetie. What is it?" she asked her daughter.  
  
"Why did the Gordons move?"

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Did you like it? Review Review!! Tell me! Thanks. Another update soon! I promise!!


	3. She Returns

Disclaimer: Yeah... still don't own anything, except the plot.

Thanks to all of the people that reviewed, you guys are great...

Black Knight 03: Read and you shall see

loopylou1: thanks.. YAY

I3itterSweet: thanks!! i feel special! hehe

And without further ado...

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Chapter 3: She returns  
  
_ "I need to know something, and I need to know it now."   
  
Jo was slightly taken aback. Lizzie was usually calm and collected, incredibly sweet; not demanding or protesting in any way.  
  
"Anything, sweetie. What is it?" she asked her daughter.  
  
"Why did the Gordon's move?"_

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Jo closed her eyes and took a deep breath, a pained look emerging on her face. Lizzie bit her lip in anticipation, and looked up at her mother's face.   
  
"Wow, I didn't see that one coming," Jo chuckled at herself and continued, "Well honey, you know most of it, we went there for your party, and they were gone. We called the Sanchez's, but they were just as shocked as we were. We spent weeks trying to figure it out, but we just couldn't."  
  
Lizzie fought back her tears bravely and questioned her mother further.  
  
"What about Dad? Did he try to find the also?"  
  
"Of course he did, he wasn't as close with Gordo's father as I was with his mother, or you were with him, but he tried to help us all the same."  
  
"Just how close exactly were me and Gordo?" Lizzie asked.  
  
"Gordo and I," Jo corrected.  
  
"Same thing."  
  
"The two of you were very close, all three of you for the matter. Inseparable, some might say," a smile spread across Jo's face while she recalled some of the memories of the children playing together.  
  
"The three of us..." Lizzie started, "so what happened to the Sanchez's, why aren't we still friends with them, they didn't move away also, did they?" she asked, Jo could see questions bursting in Lizzie's eyes.   
  
"We all stayed friends for about a year or so after the Gordons disappeared, then you both went to kindergarten. You went to the public school, Miranda went to a Catholic school, so we didn't see each other as much."  
  
Lizzie nodded.  
  
"So they just disappeared, just like that? They never called or anything?" Lizzie asked hopefully, changing the subject back to the Gordons.   
  
"They never called. Not once."   
  
"Oh." Lizzie turned away from her mother and looked out the window, closing her eyes tightly to hold back the tears.  
  
Jo put a comforting hand on Lizzie's shoulder.  
  
"I'm sorry, babe, I know it hurts, but try to get so sleep ok?" Jo felt bad for her daughter, but she wasn't exactly sure how to help. It was all so complicated.   
  
"Yeah."   
  
"You have your last half-day of school tomorrow, right?"   
  
"Yeah," Lizzie replied. The teenager shifted her gaze to another window. This window had a perfect view of the McGuire's backyard; a grassy hill that led down to a secluded cove on the beach. The wind blew through the screen and toyed with Lizzie's hair, bringing it from where it was hanging by her face, and leaving it flowing down her back.   
  
"Go to sleep, honey, you have school tomorrow."   
  
Lizzie slid under the covers, without saying a word; thankful that that was the last time she'd have to hear that for a while. Jo quietly backed out of the room, closing the door as she left.   
  
A loud alarm ran through the air and broke Lizzie's uneasy sleep. She slapped the 'off' button and swung her legs off the side of the side of the bed. She sat on the edge of the bed and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. She stretched and yawned, and made her way downstairs.  
  
"Last day of school! Last day of school! Last day of school!" Matt ran circles around his sister as she inched her way into the kitchen.   
  
"Matt. You're 12 years old. Lose the energy." Lizzie grumbled, pouring some orange juice into a glass, her eyes still half closed.  
  
"My, my, we are cranky this morning, aren't we?" Matt joked, but he quieted down for his sister's (and potentially his own) sake.   
  
Matt used to be quite an annoying to his sister, but they seemed to grow closer with age. Of course, Matt would still start up with her from time to time, but hey, what are little brothers for?  
  
The rest of breakfast was uneventful, and the siblings started up the stairs, parting at the top to go into their separate rooms to begin getting ready for the last day of school.   
  
"I don't even see why we have to go to school today," Lizzie complained, "we graduated last week."   
  
"Oh I'm Lizzie. I'm almost in ninth grade. I'm too cool to go back to middle school for two and a half hours." Matt joking teased his sister.  
  
They pulled up to the school and Jo stopped the car; Lizzie turned around to face Matt in the backseat.  
  
"I'm Matt. I'm short and annoying, and I pulled all of the flowers out of Mom's garden." Matt's eyes widened and his mouth dropped open and Lizzie flashed him a grin.   
  
"Matthew McGuire..." Jo started yelling at Matt, who was frozen, halfway out the door with a pleading look on his face.  
  
Lizzie hopped out of the car and Matt shot her a glare during the few seconds Jo had stopped her rant to take a breath. Lizzie waved and blew him a 'You-know-I-love-you' kiss, and went to meet her friend Kate, who was waiting for her by the door.   
  
"I'm so going to kill her later."  
  
After school, Lizzie and a few friends went to the Digital Bean, the local teen hang out, for lunch. Lizzie and Kate went to order the food, and Ethan and Larry went to get a table. The four friends didn't hang out too often, and weren't extremely close, but they enjoyed each other's company all the same.   
  
The girls picked up the food (hamburgers and french fries), and went to sit down with their friends. They started eating and talking, finally settling into the mood of summer.   
  
"So what are you all doing this summer?" Kate asked, sparking the conversation.  
  
"I'm going down to Florida to visit my dad's parents," Ethan said, "that's only like, an hour from here though," he finished, in a somewhat disappointed tone.   
  
"Ethan," Lizzie began, "Florida's across the country, it's a lot further than that."  
  
"Really?"  
  
Lizzie, Kate, and Larry all nodded; they were all used to Ethan's adorable ignorance by now.   
  
"Word," Ethan took a huge bite of hamburger and leaned back in the chair, placing his hands behind his head.  
  
Larry laughed, and the girls turned their heads away from Ethan until all of the food was safely inside his mouth.   
  
"Kate, what about you?"  
  
"I'm going to a cheerleading camp on the East Coast somewhere," Kate said.  
  
"You mean there are camps full of cheerleaders like, cheerleading?" Ethan asked, wide-eyed.   
  
"Yes Ethan, and you're not allowed to go," Kate giggled at the look on his face.  
  
"Oooh, shutdown Ethan," Larry laughed.  
  
"Shut up Larry," Ethan shot back.  
  
Larry laughed again and turned to Lizzie, who was watching the boys argue, and seemed to be very much amused.  
  
"What are you doing, Lizzie?" he asked.  
  
"I'm going to be a counselor for the day-camp at the college."  
  
"Nice Lizz-ay, cha-ching!" Ethan said, slapping Lizzie's arm lightly. The group laughed and turned to Larry.   
  
"I'm taking a biology class and the college in the next town, so I can take chemistry in ninth grade next year," Larry stated.  
  
Lizzie raised an eyebrow. "Whatever floats your boat, Larry."  
  
"Wow Liz," Kate said, "please, do us all a favor and never say that again." The four teens laughed and enjoyed the rest of the day together.  
  
Back at the McGuire household, Matt was in the backyard planting flowers under the close supervision of his mother. Lizzie was up in her room getting ready for her first day as a counselor. She filled out the forms and put them on her desk so she wouldn't forget them on her way out the door tomorrow.   
  
-- Next Morning -  
  
Lizzie woke up and got dressed. She grabbed the papers and ran downstairs, jumping the last few and swinging around the banister at the bottom.   
  
"How's it going, dweeb?" she yelled to her brother, who was already on his hands and knees outside digging away at the garden.   
  
"It'd be going a lot better if it weren't for you!" he shouted back.  
  
Lizzie laughed and quickly finished her breakfast. Sam came downstairs and drove her to the camp, dropped her off, and started back to the house to see if he could give Matt a break and take him out for the day.   
  
Lizzie walked up to a man who knew like he knew what he was doing and asked where she was supposed to go. He pointed to a group of about eight to ten teenagers sitting together on the grass. The group was about half boys and half girls.  
  
_Well I hope I make some friends this summer_, Lizzie thought.   
  
She approached the group nervously. The smiled and asked her to sit down with them.   
  
"You're a counselor here too?" a boy asked.  
  
"Yeah, it's my first summer," Lizzie replied.   
  
"Well cool, we'll show you around."  
  
Lizzie smiled; she was very happy, but surprised at how nice these kids were.  
  
Lizzie was assigned to a bunch of kids. She walked over and they began talking to her at once. Her group consisted of nine seven-year-old girls.   
  
_Wow I hope I don't have to do this alone_, she thought.   
  
As if an answer to her prayers, she felt a tap on her shoulder and turned to see another girl standing next to her.  
  
"Hi," she said, "I'm in this group with you," She smiled at Lizzie.  
  
"Hey," Lizzie replied. _This girl seems nice also_, Lizzie thought, "I'm Lizzie," she introduced herself.  
  
"Miranda."

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AAH Cliffhanger... hehe. Review! Review! Tell me what you think, please, I look foward to it!! Thanks! Another chapter soon.


	4. The True Story

hey guys! wow i am soooo sorry it took so long to update, i just had all of my finals in 2 days so i have been studying like crazy. BUT i'm all done now so i can write endlessly for all of you! yay lol.

so for this chapter i was thinking of pulling a finding nemo.. you know, like "Miranda? Oh, that's a nice name...

haha but i'd figure you would all never read this again and it'd be pretty corny so i kind of overruled myself, but i think i'll give you the next chapter now!!

Don't own it...

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Chapter 4: The True Story  
  
3-year-old David Gordon watched as cars and buildings zoomed by the outside of the window. He had never been this way before, so he paid close attention.   
  
They were in a car now, Gordo knew that much, but he couldn't understand why both of his parents were in the backseat with him.   
  
**Flashback   
**  
"I have a surprise for you, darling," Mr. Gordon said to his wife, an ecstatic look on his face, and a hand behind his back.   
  
"What is it this time, Howard?" Mrs. Gordon replied, a little more eager than she let on, as most are when they're told of a surprise in store for them.   
  
Howard Gordon winked at his toddler, who had stopped playing with blocks to listen to his parents.   
  
"I have something to show you," the man said, with false nonchalance.  
  
"Oh! Where is it?" Mrs. Gordon asked, growing increasingly excited.  
  
"Chicago!" Howard exclaimed, pulling three plane tickets out from behind his back.   
  
The expression on Howard's wife's face transformed from excitement to pure confusion.   
  
"Chicago? Howard, we're going to New York in a week."  
  
"I know, that's why our plane's leaving in 5 hours, c'mon let's go pack!" The look on Mr. Gordon's face was that of such pure joy, that Roberta didn't want to upset him; so she didn't.   
  
"Oh. I-um-okay..." She reached down and picked up her son, who was grinning broadly at her. He reached one of his small hands over and started to play with one of the earrings dangling from her ears.   
  
"Hi, Mommy," Gordo said.   
  
Roberta Gordon started at her absolutely angelic son.  
  
"Hi baby, want to help me pack?"  
  
"Going Lizzie's?" the child asked. Whenever he heard the word 'pack,' he assumed he'd be staying over at his best friend's house, as he had done so many times before.   
  
"No, sweetie, Dad said we're going to Chicago," she told her child, and herself as well.  
  
"Chicago?" The boy cocked his head to the side and gave his mother a confused look.   
  
"Shh," Roberta rubbed the boy's back soothingly and tried to comprehend the situation.  
  
**End Flashback**  
  
Gordo's mother's voice broke through the silence of the car, and interrupted the boy's thoughts.   
  
"Howard, I know you're excited, but don't you think this is a little, um, well," she paused, "all of a sudden?" She tried not to break her husband's jubilant mood with a touch of factuality.  
  
"Oh no, I've been planning this for weeks now," he replied, his grin never leaving his face.  
  
"Oh right," his wife said, "of course." She sighed and looked out the window, then over at her son, who had fallen asleep and was dozing peacefully in the carseat.  
  
Howard's cell phone rang, and he answered it quickly.   
  
"Hello- yes, just pack it up and ship it tomorrow. Good- great- ok- bye." He said into the phone.   
  
Mrs. Gordon listened in, but didn't know what to make of the fragments of conversation she had heard.

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The Gordons arrived at the airport, boarded the plane and found their seats without a problem.  
  
Gordo, who had never been on a plane before quickly started to observe his surroundings.  
  
"You're sure he's safe in that thing, Howard?" Mrs. Gordon asked her husband. She looked over at her son in the window seat. He was sitting in a booster-type seat made specifically for toddlers on plane rides.   
  
"Yes, dear, look at him, he's thoroughly enjoying himself, " he answered, enjoying his immunity to his wife's 'mother-bear' instincts when it came to their darling son.  
  
Roberta Gordon listened to her husband, and looked at her son. His blue eyes were fixated on a moth that was fluttering in front of his face.  
  
She smiled and watched Gordo. His small mouth was slightly open, and his eyes were wide. The moth rose up slightly, and started to roam towards the back of the plane. Gordo's eyes followed the moth, and his head rose straight up to keep it in view. When the moth ventured out of sight, Gordo brought his head back to a relatively normal position and turned to look at his mother.   
  
"Hey, sweetie," his mother said, escorting a lock of curly brown hair away from the child's eyes.  
  
"Hey, Mommy."  
  
Gordo looked out the window, and the plane started to back out of the gate.  
  
As soon as the plane embarked on its trip down the runway, Gordo and all of the other young children on the plane began to cry until their ears had popped and their mothers had sufficiently calmed them down.   
  
The plane arrived safely in Chicago and the Gordons got off the pane, collected their baggage, and hopped into a taxi. Howard Gordon rattled off an address, and the drive nodded in recognition.   
  
"We're here!" Mr. Gordon got out of the car, and took the luggage out of the trunk. He paid the driver and turned to his wife, who was becoming increasingly confused by the day's events.   
  
"Surprise, surprise," Howard said to his wife. A huge grin adorned his face as he pointed to a white house.  
  
"Howard, what are you talking about, what are we doing here, I knew this a bad idea..." the woman continued mumbling until her husband politely cut her off.  
  
"No, honey, this is the surprise," he explained.  
  
"The house?" she asked. The reality of the situation was starting to sink in.  
  
"Yes!" He grabbed his son ad lifted him into the air, spinning him around and around.  
  
"Howard, did you buy this house?" Roberta asked him. Her tone was sharp, as was her expression.  
  
Mr. Gordon set his son down on the ground and scratched the back of his head.  
  
"Sort of."  
  
"Howard Gordon you bought a house, packed up our family, and moved us here without letting me know? What were you thinking? What about our other house? Our jobs? Our friends?" The look on her face was murderous. Howard could almost see the sparks in her eyes. She was standing stick-straight, with her arms locked slightly behind her hips. Her body was rigid; her fists were clenched and she was shaking slightly.  
  
"Well, I, um..." he faltered, unsure of what to say. He had thought that she would think it was a great idea. It was a great neighborhood, the schools were excellent. The weather was good for the most part, and he had a job lined up...  
  
"Howard," the woman seemed to calm down and inhale the ability to reason with the situation, "what else?"  
  
Howard relaxed slightly when he noticed she wasn't a human volcano about to bombard him with burning rocks. He shivered with the cool breeze.  
  
"Well, the cars will be here next week," he started, "and the rest of our furniture will be here on Sunday," Mrs. Gordon raised an eyebrow. "We sold the house to a lovely young couple from Florida..." Roberta's jaw dropped slightly.  
  
"You sold the house..." Roberta whispered to herself.  
  
Howard hung his head and led the way to the front door. His wife bent down to pick up Gordo and she numbly walked inside.  
  
"I thought you'd love it..." Howard whisper, his head still bowed in shame.  
  
"Lovely," Mrs. Gordon said with substantial sarcasm, "where's the phone?"  
  
"I-it's not h-hooked up yet," he replied. His wife frowned. She was getting more and more disgusted with the state of things as each moment passed, and she was making it perfectly clear that she was furious at him as well.  
  
"I have to make a call," she stated irritably. Gordo squirmed in her arms and she let him down. He walked over to his father and grabbed hold of his pant leg.   
  
Howard looked down at his son, and if his wife hadn't portrayed to him the error of his ways, the tidal wave of reality instantly came crashing down on him. As he looked down into his son's blue eyes, he realized just how clouded his judgement had been. How could he do this? How could he drag his family away from the happiest lifestyle they'd ever known? He'd just disconnected his son from his only two friends, and brought them into a whole new world without so much as a second thought.   
  
The young boy tugged lightly on his father's pants and walked toward his mother. A tear rolled down Howard's cheek as he approached his wife for the first time that night, guided by his worried son.   
  
Roberta smiled weakly and took her husband's hand. They picked up Gordo and stood together in an awkward sort of family hug.  
  
"Looks like we're home then," Roberta said to Howard, looking at the two males in her life.   
  
"Looks that way."

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Next chapter will be up soon, I've already started writing it. Please review this and let me know what you think. The reviews really help me, comments, complaints, suggestions, questions, anything just let me know.

Special Thanks to LilAngel413, I changed the settings, lol thank you you're so sweet!! I feel loved, :o)

Thanks to everyone who's reviewed you guys keep me going!


	5. New York

hey omg i am sooo sorry it's been so long. I'm ashamed of myself. lol. I hope you like this chapter, and I'll try to update more often from now on.

Romaqueen3- Thanks so much! You're absolutely right, and I just hit myself for it, but you're the only one that caught it so YAY. lol. You're not a dork at all lol, I would have loved it too hehe. I've read a few of your stories, but that was before the genius in me discovered how to review. I love them, just so you know.

cami- I understand. This story is based on an experience I had also. It took me so long to update because no one knows what happened, and I had to make it up. I hope the coming chapters cheer you up and I'm glad you like it!!!

here it is!!!

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Chapter 5: New York  
  
**-The Next Week-  
**  
The past week had been fairly turbulent for the Gordon family. They were completely thrown out of whack and blocked off from the life they'd known.   
  
It wasn't all terrible though, after all, they had nice neighbors who had come with housewarming gifts for Mr. and Mrs. Gordon, and quite a few playdates for Gordo. The young child enjoyed the neighborhood kids, but was aching for Lizzie and Miranda inside.  
  
"Howard, please tell me the phones are hooked up, I need to call Jo," Roberta said to her husband while she dried her hair. Her demeanor had changed in the past couple of days. When talking to her husband, her words were short and to the point. Her tone was sharp and cold, a perfect reflection of her current feelings toward him.   
  
"I haven't been able to catch hold of a phone company yet. We probably won't get them working until we get back from New York," he replied quietly.   
  
The woman scoffed and stood up, walking across the room. She was still mad at him for not including her in this life altering decision. Of course she was. She had every right to be, but she knew she couldn't stay mad at him forever.   
  
He had greatly expressed his apologies many times, and although what he did was huge, she just couldn't hold the grudge much longer. Every time se looked at him, he would smile at her in such a cautious, melancholy way, she would feel horrible for being so hard on him.   
  
"I really need to call Jo," she repeated bluntly, "we disappeared a week ago and haven't contacted them at all."   
  
"They probably just think that we went to New York early or something," he said, "We're leaving for New York tomorrow, so you can call them from the airport or the hotel."  
  
"You're right," she admitted, "as always."  
  
The man grinned and kissed his wife on the forehead for the first time in a while.  
  
"It'll all be alright, you'll see," he told her.  
  
"I hope you're right with that one also, I would hate to see your 'I'm-always-right streak' end now," she joked.  
  
"I don't think it will," he joked back.  
  
She gave him a small smile.   
  
"Good, just don't get arrogant or anything."  
  
He laughed with her.  
  
"I'll go get Gordo from next door, I'll be right back," he told his wife. He went downstairs, and out the door, shut it behind, and went to pick up his son.   
  
Roberta sighed and sat down on the bed. She was still mad at him, but deep she knew he had meant well.  
  
The woman rose and began packing her things. Their flight to New York was early the next morning, and she had never grown out of her teenage 'shut-up-and-let-me-sleep phase.'

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Roberta finished packing. She had packed for the whole family, and was both incredibly happy to be finished packing, and exhausted from around two hours of back and forth from the suitcase to the clothes and, well, packing.  
  
She laid down on the bed and drifted off to sleep.

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Howard opened the front door carrying Gordo, who had chocolate ice cream cone clutched in his hand, and a grin on his face. His mouth was, of course, smeared with chocolate, as was his shirt, but hey, what are washing machines for?  
  
Mr. Gordon yelled up to his wife and brought his son into the kitchen. He sat Gordo down on the countertop and let his legs dangle off at the knees. Then he pulled up a chair and sat in front of him to keep him company while he ate.   
  
Not that Gordo needed company while he was eating at all. In fact, he never made a sound when he ate, he had to concentrate heavily on his good; especially ice cream... can't let that out of your sight. He had kind of a 'can't talk-eating' attitude, and would completely ignore everything until he was done with his meal, like many young boys. But, it never hurts to try, right?  
  
"Did you have fun at your friend's house, Gordo?" Howard asked.  
  
Gordo kept eating; he had adorably managed to get ice cream on his nose and right temple next to his hairline. Ah the talents of youth these days.  
  
"Howard, when did you get back?" Mrs. Gordon asked while descending the stairs from the bedroom into the kitchen.   
  
"Just five minutes ago we went to Baskin Robbins," Howard replied.   
  
The rest of the day sped by in the most uneventful way, and by 9:30 that night, Gordo was sleeping, and the married couple decided to call it a night and retire to bed early.   
  
They slid off to sleep, still keeping to opposite sides of the bed even though most of the tension had worn away.

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The alarm clock on Howard's side of the bed rang. 5:00 AM. He sat up in bed, turned the alarm off and gently shook his wife to a half conscious state.   
  
"C'mon, wake up, the car will be here in an hour," he spoke quietly.   
  
"I'll be down soon, you go... have fun," she mumbled almost incoherently. She rolled onto her other side and closed her eyes again.  
  
Howard chuckled at her childish behavior and went to wake Gordo, who proved to be less of a problem.  
  
He lifted Gordo out of the crib and carried him down to the kitchen, buckling him into the high chair.   
  
Mr. Gordon buzzed about the kitchen preparing breakfast and coffee for his son and wife, who had just appeared at the top of the stairs. Mrs. Gordon slowly made her way downstairs and sat down at the tale.   
  
It was very early and still dark outside when the room briefly lit up.  
  
"Taxi's here, just pulled into the driveway," Howard calmly observed, still half asleep himself.   
  
"Oh," Roberta said sipping her coffee.  
  
The two adults looked at each other and raced upstairs. Five seconds lately Howard jumped the bottom two steps, picked up Gordo and bounded up the stairs again.  
  
Half an hour lately the family was in the cab on the way to the airport.

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The next two hours flew by. They were very excited about going to New York, and Roberta was scanning the airport for a phone, but with no luck so far.  
  
They were already running late when Roberta finally saw a phone.   
  
"A phone! A phone! Oh thank goodness," she rushed over and pulled a quarter out of her pocket and put it into the slot.  
  
_"Last call for boarding. Flight 8346 to New York's La Guardia Airport. Calling all passengers."_ A voice rang out to the bust people milling around the gates.  
  
"We have to go Roberta, you can call them when we get there," Howard said, taking her hand and lightly pulling her towards the lady taking tickets.  
  
"NO. I have to talk to them," she started to dial the McGuire's number.  
  
_"Will the Gordon party of 3, if you are in the gate, Howard Gordon to Gate 7, your plane is waiting."_  
  
"We have to go. Now." Howard said reluctantly.  
  
Roberta dropped the phone, and they boarded the plane.   
  
A passerby shook his head and went to the phone Roberta had used. It was still hanging there. He picked it up and placed it back on the hook, drowning out Jo McGuire's calls of "Hello? Hello?"

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The plane landed in New York. The weather was miserable. It was pouring and the sky was full of thunder and lightning.  
  
The pane pulled into the gate and the passengers poured out of the plane and into the baggage claim area. Roberta once again skimmed through the crowds for a phone. She saw a man with a sign that said 'Gordon.' She waved him over and he began helping Howard with the bags.

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The cab pulled up in front of the beach house and the Gordons stepped out. They opened the door and walked inside. After flying all day and waking up so early, they were exhausted.  
  
Howard dropped the bags at the top of the stairs and put Gordo to sleep in his room. They'd unpack tomorrow. It was too late now. A large clap of thunder briefly startled him, but he fell face first into his pillow and was out like a light, as were all of the lights as well.   
  
He heard Roberta scream downstairs in anguish and storm up the stairs; her feet fiercely pounding on each step making the floors shake.  
  
He turned over groggily and looked at the furious figure of his wife in the doorway.  
  
"A blackout," she said, "I called her. She picked up, and the phone when dead."

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They sat down at the breakfast table, Roberta's head was down, and she stirred her cereal lazily with her spoon.  
  
"It'll be alright, sweetie," Howard said.  
  
"She hates me by now. We disappeared so long ago without a word, I bet she hates me. There's just no point in calling anymore."  
  
She signed and stood up. The woman walked up the stairs and pulled one of the two suitcases that were still at the top of the stairs into the bedroom.   
  
She began unpacking, opening drawers, putting the clothes in, and shutting them again. When she had finished the first suitcase, she looked around. There was a shirt of Gordo's on her bed that she had forgotten to take to his room. She picked it up and walked down the hallway to the child's bedroom.  
  
This was her sister's beach house, and Gordo was staying in her nephew's room. She looked around. He had a few baseball posters, and the famous 'I 3 NY' sign. There were a couple other posters scattered on the walls as well.  
  
She put the shirt away and turned to go get the other bag. A picture on the wall caught her eye as she was walking, and she turned to look at it.  
  
While she was looking at it, she tripped on the suitcase. Roberta began to fall forward; she put her hands out to stop her fall and went tumbling lightly down the stairs.

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Don't kill me! She'll be fine, don't worry. I'll have the next chapter up in a shorter amount of time than it took for this one, that's for sure.

Keep reviewing! Please! I love them! Talk to you all soon!!!


	6. Between Us Girls

Hey everyone! Sorry it took so long. My computer had a virus, and was completely and totally disfunctional for a week or so. I'm on my dad's laptop now. Special thanks to the two people who reviewed my last chapter.

Did you all like the last chapter? It was a bit unnerving that almost no one reviewed, I'm so sorry. This chapter will be better. Throughout the rest of the story I'll be using the house next door, and probably Lizzie's backyard, and I changed it from the show, so if you forgot, it's in the 3rd chapter. But here it is...

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Chapter 6: Between Us Girls  
  
"Hey, I'm Lizzie."  
  
"Miranda."

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The two teenage girls stood stock-still, mouths open, and eyes wide.  
  
"L-Lizzie McGuire?" Miranda asked, finally finding words after five minutes of gaping and stuttering.   
  
"Miranda? Oh my gosh is that really you?" Lizzie was smiling uncontrollably, and tears slowly began to stream down her face.   
  
Miranda was also crying. Her mother had never stopped telling her stories about when she was a baby. She always liked to bring up memories about the three best friends and how close they were. Miranda was so glad to see Lizzie after all these years; it was like a dream come true.   
  
The girls looked at each other, laughing, crying, and sniffling back tears, but neither could say a word. Miranda flung her arms around her old best friend and they hugged each other close. Miranda buried her head in Lizzie's shoulder.  
  
"I missed you so much."  
  
Lizzie hugged her back and brushed a tear from her own cheek.  
  
"I missed you too."  
  
The two girls stood there silently, crying and laughing until a young girl tapped them.  
  
"Can we go swimming now?"  
  
The girls laughed and replied in the affirmative, and the campers squealed in delight and took off towards the pool like horses out of a starting gate.   
  
While the children were having a swim lesson, Lizzie and Miranda sat on the side and talked. They talked about everything, as if they were desperate to know every detail about the other. They talked about school, friends, clothes, hobbies, and of course, boys. The pair reminisced about the golden years of their childhood when they could have been considered inseparable.

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Lizzie and Miranda walked to Lizzie's house and quietly opened the front door.  
  
"I think I remember it here," Miranda whispered.  
  
"Shh. My mom's going to die when she sees you! _Oh my little girls, you grow up so fast_," Lizzie said, mocking her mother's probable future statement.  
  
Both girls erupted into a fit of giggles, and stopped themselves quickly, not wanting to give their presence away.  
  
Behind the stifled laughter their eyes pranced with excitement, awaiting an ecstatic Jo McGuire.   
  
"Mom! I'm home!" Lizzie called from the doorway.  
  
Jo appeared in the hallway from the direction of the kitchen, drying her hands with a towel.  
  
"Hey, sweetie, I just walked in a half-hour ago and I was jus- oh hello," she saw the dark-haired girl standing next to her daughter. "Who's your friend, Lizzie?" she asked cheerfully.  
  
"Oh, mom, you remember Miranda, right?"  
  
"Miranda?" Jo's cheery smile turned into a grin and she ran over to Miranda and starting talking a mile a minute. She had asked her several thousand questions before Lizzie cut in to give Miranda so very much appreciated breathing room.  
  
Jo clasped her hands and wiped her watery eyes.   
  
"Oh my little girls, you grow up so fast."  
  
Lizzie and Miranda ran up the stairs to hide their mouths that were gushing laughter.  
  
Jo yelled up the stairs to Miranda that she could stay as long as she liked, then returned to the kitchen to prepare dinner.  
  
The girls knew that the next day was the director's birthday, and his wife was taking him to Vegas for the day, so camp was cancelled, and the girls decided to make the best of it.  
  
Miranda called her mother and asked her to bring a sleeping bag and clothes for her, because she was sleeping at a friend's.  
  
Mrs. Sanchez smiled and proceeded to go into her child's room to pick out her clothes.  
  
"Whose house are you at, Miranda?" she asked, finding her daughters pajamas and putting them in a bag.  
  
"Lizzie McGuire's," Miranda replied, grinning. She had said it so nonchalantly, so 'la-de-da,' that she was sure her mother was frozen still with shock.  
  
And indeed she was.   
  
"You-what-Lizzie-Lizzie McGuire?-you-how-what-when?-"  
  
Miranda figured that her mother would go on stuttering for an hour, so she decided to cut her off; in a loving way, of course. She laughed lightly and shook her head. Miranda caught Lizzie's eye from across the room. Both girls' eyes gleamed in delight and satisfaction.  
  
"Don't worry, mom, I'll explain it all later, can you bring my stuff, I'm sleeping over! If that's all right..." Miranda asked in a very hopeful voice, eager to spend some timg with her 'new' friend.   
  
"Of course it is, sweetie, I'll be right there, I remember where it is, " Mrs. Sanchez told her daughter.   
  
Miranda said goodbye and hung up the phone and the two girls hugged again. Both were so inexplainably happy that there were just no words to describe their emotions. The chasms that were forced into their lives at such a tender age were finally beginning to fill.

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The doorbell rang, and Sam answered it. He and a very bubbly Mrs. Sanchez quickly engaged in conversation.  
  
Jo ran down the stairs and the two women threw their arms around each other, sobbing hysterically.  
  
When they finally broke apart, both had tears of happiness trickling down their cheeks.  
  
Sam chuckled to himself and turned to go to the computer in the next room muttering, "women," before exiting the room.  
  
Miranda came running down the stairs to greet her mother, followed by Lizzie, who was inching her way down the stairs; nervous perhaps, or shy to see Miranda's mom after such a long time.   
  
After a considerable amount of time of crying (mostly on the mothers' part), hugging, and the typical questions; How's school? What classes are you taking?... (A/N: we've all been there, haven't we? lol) Mrs. Sanchez left and the girls went back up to Lizzie's room, bringing Miranda's stuff with them.

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Lizzie and Miranda were both lying on their backs looking at Lizzie's ceiling, splattered with pink glow-in-the-dark stars. They had completely caught up with each other, and now knew just about everything there was to know about the other. They had shared every detail of their childhoods, crushes, complete bios of their friends, teachers, classes, favorite colors, foods, clothes, everything. There was only one thing left.  
  
Lizzie rolled onto her side and propped her head up with her her hand. She looked down at Miranda on the floor who in turn looked back up at her. It was time. Finally, the one person who she could relate to, and share her every thought, wh owould understand everything about her, and know what she was thinking before she said it, as she had been doing all day.  
  
"Do you ever think about Gordo?" Lizzie whispered, barely daring to make her voice audible.  
  
"Not really, I mean sometimes, sure, but I never thought about it seriously," Miranda answered sleepily, smiling up at her friend. "Do you?"  
  
"All the time," Lizzie began, "I even remember some of it. Not much, just a little. Like when we'd play in the sandboxes, or down at the beach. I remember the day we found out they had moved though. I remember that perfectly."  
  
Lizzie's eyes filled with tears, and unlike the ones from earlier that day, they were tears of sorrow. Tears of sadness, hurt, and betrayal. Tears of heartbreak.  
  
Even in the darkness, Miranda could see her friend's pain. She slid out her sleeping bag and sat down next to Lizzie, who had resumed her position stargazing on her ceiling. Miranda rubbed Lizzie's arm soothingly, and wiped away her tears.  
  
"Do you want to talk about it, Liz?" she asked softly five minutes later, in case the girl had cried herself to sleep.  
  
Lizzie opened her eyes and smiled half-heartedly at her friend. She turned her head and looked out the window, like she had the other night, at the house next door. As always, no lights were on in that room. That room a foot away from her window. That room where nobody ever went.   
  
"Yeah," she said, "I never have before."  
  
"Tell me, sweetie," Miranda said gently, "tell me everything."  
  
Lizzie took a deep breath and began to share what she had never shared before.  
  
"We found out on my third birthday. My mom woke me up, we did the usual birthday deal, you know presents and what not," Miranda nodded to show she understood. Lizzie continued, "then we got into the car and drove to the Gordon's. My mom carried me up to the front steps and an old, crabby woman answered the door and told us that they were gone. Miranda, it was so horrible."  
  
Lizzie's eyes welled up again, and Miranda reached to her nightstand for a tissue. She gave it to Lizzie, who thanked her and began talking again.  
  
"I don't think I stopped cryin for a week. It was so terrible. I know I was so small, but it hurt me so badly. It felt like my heart was torn out and ripped to shreds in front of my face. I couldn't breathe. When he left, a piece of me went with him. It's so irreplaceable and it still hurts."  
  
Miranda wiped a tear from her own cheek and tried to comfort her friend silently, for she was absolutely speechless.  
  
"Shh, Lizzie," she cooed. Lizzie had sitten up in the middle of her story and Miranda had pulled her into and embrace and was now rocking her gently. "It's ok, Liz, I'm here for you. Don't worry, it'll be okay, you'll be okay."  
  
Lizzie closed her eyes and let Miranda comfort her. Miranda softly laid Lizzie back down on the bed and pulled the covers over her.  
  
"It'll turn out great, Lizzie, you'll see."  
  
"Lizzie gave Miranda a thankful smile.   
  
"Do you really think so?" she asked, hoping to hear a good answer.  
  
"Yes," Miranda said.  
  
"Isn't it sad how I only remember the bad memories?" Lizzie asked, slightly ashamed.  
  
"Don't worry," Miranda reassured her, "when we see him again, it'll be just like old times."  
  
"_When_ we see him? Don't you mean _if_ we see him?" Lizzie asked, slightly confused.  
  
"No," her friend answered, "we'll definitely see him again. Even if it's the last thing we do."  
  
And with that, Miranda stood up and went to her sleeping bag. She crawled in and looked at Lizzie.  
  
"Good night, Liz, don't worry, we'll think of something."

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I'll get the next chapter up as soon as I can. I have a couple questions for you all. This is a bit embarrassing, but what's an AU? What was that stand for? lol. Also, I need to know Miranda's mother's first name, I never knew what it was.

And an opinion question, should I set Miranda up with someone? Tell me what you think, the next chapter will be up shortly. Thanks!!!


	7. Revelations and Realizations

Hey! Before I go any further, I'd like to say thank you to Black Knight 03 for reviewing every single chapter I've posted, and answering all of my questions. Other thanks to I3ittersweet, Lilangel413, and loupylou, who have reviewed many times. Thanks so much!!!

Disclaimer: I've been forgetting these, haven't I? I don't own Lizzie McGuire, or any of its characters. This goes for the whole story including future chapters.

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Chapter 7: Revelations and Realizations  
  
It was the 4th of July, and the Gordons were over at the McGuire's house for a barbecue. It was a perfect summer day. It was beautiful; the sun was beaming down on the McGuire's stunning backyard on the beach. There was a light, refreshing breeze that would blow every so often, making ripples radiate across the evergreen grass.  
  
Sam McGuire was the chef of the day, complete with many and various utensils, and topped with a green 'everybody loves the chef' apron. The hot dogs and hamburgers sizzled on the grill when they were turned over, and the smell wafted though the backyard, beckoning its occupants like a cartoon.  
  
The Sanchez's arrived and the day couldn't have been more perfect. The three toddlers were playing happily in the grass, and Jo's newborn boy was peacefully asleep in a playpen under the protective shade of a tree.   
  
When it got dark, the families grabbed the children, shed their shoes, and ran down to the beach to await the fireworks. The three children stood in a huddle, and the McGuires, Gordons, and Sanchez's stood in couples.   
  
An explosion sounded from up above, and the show began. Miranda heard the noise and began to wail. Her mother ran over to her and carried her over to her husband.  
  
Lizzie and Gordo looked at each other, then up at the sky. It was bursting with color. Beautiful displays of reds, yellows, blues, greens, every color imaginable speckled and splattered across the sky.   
  
Lizzie tapped Gordo and pointed to her parents, who had just shared a small kiss, and were now looking back up at the sky. Gordo looked at his own parents, who did the same, and now had their arms around each other, heads turned towards the heavens.  
  
Lizzie turned to Gordo who was looking at her. Gordo leaned in and gave her a small and quick kiss, then looked at her and laughed. Lizzie laughed too, and the children upturned their heads and watched in utter amazement at the fireworks show above them.

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Lizzie opened her eyes and rolled over.  
  
"Good morning, sunshine," Miranda greeted her.  
  
Lizzie mumbled a muffled, inaudible reply, and closed her eyes again.  
  
"No, no, no, wake up, wake up!" Miranda shook her friend until she was fully awake.   
  
"Ehh," Lizzie stretched and stood up, "'morning Miranda."  
  
"Hey, chica, are you feeling better today?"   
  
"Yeah, I had a dream about him last night, or maybe it was a flashback, I'm not sure."  
  
Lizzie explained every detail of the 'flashback-dream' to Miranda, who smiled and nodded, listening carefully.  
  
"You think about him a lot, don't you?" Miranda asked her friend.  
  
"I do. I always wonder about it. I mean, would we still be friends if they hadn't moved? Would we be the 'three best friends, together forever?'" Lizzie said, and showed Miranda the photo album she had found just nights before.  
  
"I don't know, Liz, I've got an idea, but I'll tell you after breakfast, c'mon."   
  
The girls went downstairs and joined Jo in the kitchen for breakfast.   
  
"Hey mom, did we ever have a barbecue on the 4th of July with the Sanchez's and the Gordons?"   
  
Jo thought about it briefly, then replied, "Yes, your father cooked everything, he was wearing that apron, we still have it," she reached into a drawer and pulled out the hideous apron from Lizzie's dream.  
  
"And when the fireworks started, did Miranda cry?" she threw Miranda a sympathetic look, then turned to her mother to see if her dream was indeed real.  
  
"Yes, I remember now. Miranda, you didn't like the fireworks at all," Jo confirmed.  
  
The girls looked at each other, amazed. They finished their breakfast and rushed upstairs.  
  
"I think you liked him," Miranda said.  
  
Lizzie rolled her eyes.  
  
"Is it even possible to like someone like that when you're that young?"  
  
"Of course, it doesn't matter how old you are," Miranda replied, jumping up and down on Lizzie's bed while Lizzie sat in her bean bag chair.  
  
"But if it was so long ago, why am I still thinking about it now?" Lizzie asked, "I can't still like him!"  
  
"Maybe you can, do you have a boyfriend?" Miranda asked, still jumping on the bed. Ah, the interrogation had begun.  
  
"No," Lizzie retorted.  
  
"Do you have a crush on anyone other than Gordo?"  
  
"I don't have a crush on Gordo."  
  
"Answer the question."  
  
"No, I don't."  
  
"Do your friends have boyfriends?" Miranda stopped jumping to concentrate on her analysis of her friend's love life.  
  
"Yeah, most of them do," Lizzie told her.  
  
"Are you lonely?"  
  
Lizzie looked at her friend, slightly confused. "Am I lonely? No," she answered slowly.  
  
"When was your last boyfriend?"  
  
Lizzie looked down at the ground and shuffled her feet nervously, she looked at Miranda.  
  
"Never. I mean, I've been on a date or two, but it didn't turn into anything. I didn't even kiss them, just a movie, that sort of thing." Lizzie took a breath and looked at her friend.   
  
"So the last guy you kissed was Gordo?"  
  
"Kind of."  
  
"You still like him," Miranda said defiantly, and resumed jumping up and down on Lizzie's bed.  
  
"What?! After over 10 years? That's so not true! It's impossible, and sort of disgusting now that I think about it-"  
  
"Lizzie!" Miranda cut her off, "he's the only guy you've ever kissed, had feelings for, and felt special around. You think about him constantly, and you dream about kissing him. You still like him, and it's not gross at all." Miranda smiled at her friend and searched her face for any sign of agreement or recognition. She found it.  
  
"Wow. I never thought of it like that, I guess you're right," Lizzie chuckled to herself. "So what's your big plan?"  
  
Miranda walked over to the computer and turned it on. She clicked into the internet and typed in a website.  
  
"Here it is. What was his father's name? Howard?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
Miranda finished typing and hit 'enter.'  
  
Lizzie was looking through her bookshelf when Miranda called her over to the computer.  
  
"Here he is, I found them," the dark-haired girl said.  
  
"What?" Lizzie whispered softly.  
  
"They're right here," Miranda stated calmly, "Howard Gordon. 245 Lakeside Drive, Chicago, Illinois, 60641. 1-951-273-4470. Online phonebook, cool, huh?"

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The next chapter will be up shortly. Please review and tell me what you think. Suggestions are also always appreciated! Thanks ttys!

p.s. I don't own the address or phone number either. hehe.


	8. The Dream

Hey! Thanks for the reviews! You guys are great.I hope all of you are having a great summer, and I don't really have much to say, so here's the chapter! lol

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Chapter 8: The Dream  
  
A young teenager and his father quietly opened the door to the master bedroom. The boy carried a tray holding a breakfast fit for a queen; cereal, eggs, toast, jelly, orange juice, water, place settings, and a muffin with a single lit candle. The man carried several boxes, large and small, covered completely in beautiful wrapping paper, and adorned with many and various ribbons and bows.  
  
Howard Gordon gently shook his wife into consciousness and a 14-year-old Gordo placed the breakfast in her lap.  
  
Roberta and her son and husband laughed and talked together, and Gordo and Howard helped Roberta finish off her breakfast before presenting her with her annual birthday presents.   
  
The woman's eyes lit up at a gorgeous silver bracelet from Howard, and a new bestseller book she had been dying to read. Gordo had gotten her a gift certificate to the local spa that was refundable for a whole day of pampering and 'beautifying.' After a couple other smaller gifts, and many phone calls from various friends and family members, the day of the Gordon family began.  
  
The Gordons were all seated in the living room. Roberta was enveloped in her new book, Gordo was lounging on the couch with his gameboy and headphones, and Howard was pacing. He walked from the kitchen to the living room and back again. Back and forth and back and forth until Roberta put a hand to her head, as if to relieve herself of a headache and said, "Howard. What. Are. You. Doing?"   
  
He had been pacing for a healthy ten minutes, and although she was doing her absolute best to not pay attention to him and concentrate on her book, she just couldn't ignore the obviously troubled man in front of her.   
  
"I'm just thinking, you know," he said very quickly.  
  
"Yes, I do," she raised an eyebrow, and he scratched the back of his head only further proving his discomfort.  
  
Gordo was still playing with his handheld entertainment system, but being a teenage, it no longer held his interest as it used to.  
  
"Ok, ok, I have an announcement to make," Howard looked at his wife who began to eye him suspiciously, "or a preposition, rather."   
  
Gordo turned the gameboy off and pulled his headphones out of his ears. Roberta put a piece of ribbon from one of her presents into the book to hold her place, then closed the book and put it on the table.  
  
"Go on," she said.   
  
He started about four different sentences at one, but he couldn't seem to get the right combination of words out of his mouth.  
  
"Do you like this house?"  
  
"No," was the immediate response from Gordo, who had never truly settled into the Chicago home.   
  
"It's a lovely house, Howard," Roberta said after eyeing her son, who sank deeper into the cushions of the couch, "why," she said in a much harsher tone.  
  
"I've got something to show you," Howard said.  
  
"Howard, you didn't..." Roberta started.   
  
"Oh no he didn't!" Gordo said sarcastically, snapping his fingers in a 'Z' formation.  
  
His parents turned their heads to him and stared blankly.  
  
Gordo laughed, "I'm sorry, bad movie."  
  
Roberta nodded in false agreement, shook her head to herself and turned back to her husband.  
  
"Howard," she said crisply, "_please_ tell you didn't buy a house, don't do this to me again."   
  
He kneeled down on the floor in front of her and took her hands in his. "No," he said, "I didn't buy a house. I just want you to look at one, it might make up for everything I've done to hurt you."   
  
Gordo's head popped up and he snapped to attention right away, both at the thought of moving out of that dreadful town, and his father hurting his mom. He could hardly remember a time when they had had an argument that lasted longer than a Mento. (A/N: yes, I stole it from Friends, I know, I know)   
  
Not that the town was completely horrible, it wasn't bad. Gordo had a fair amount of friends, and although he wasn't the most popular guy in school, he definitely wasn't one of the geeks. No, the town wasn't bad at all in Gordo's point of view, but to him, it just always seemed to be missing something.   
  
"Howard, I thought we were past all that," Mrs. Gordon said to her husband.   
  
"Please? Just a look, we'll go down there for a week, stay at a hotel, look at the house, if you like it, great, if you don't, we'll stay here. What do you say, Gordo? You can take a week out of your summer vacation, can't you?"   
  
Gordo scrambled out of his seat like it was covered in white-hot nails.  
  
"Definitely, dad."  
  
Howard turned to his wife.  
  
"Please, Roberta? Just a look, that's all."  
  
Roberta Gordon looked from her husband to her son and then back to Howard again. Both were looking at her pleading silently to look at the house, and if not, at least the weeks vacation.  
  
She sighed, "Sure, why not?"   
  
Howard grinned and raced to confirm the flights, which left the next afternoon, but not before telling Gordo to go pack a bag.   
  
Gordo didn't have to be told twice, he skipped up the stairs to his room and opened the door. The bed was on the far-left corner, covered with sheets and blankets of royal blue. A nightstand stood faithfully next to the bed, and was adorned with several books, a reading light, and an alarm clock. The walls appeared to be off-white or beigish in color, sprinkled with posters of bands or star athletes of teams the boy was loyal to. On the other side was a desk, with a very up-to-date computer, used for schoolwork and games when his parents weren't looking.  
  
The room was overall very neat and orderly, almost unordinarily so for a boy of teenage years.  
  
He ran over to his dresser and pulled out just enough t-shirts, shorts, socks, and other articles of clothing necessary for a week's travel.   
  
He put the clothes neatly folded into a laundry basket, and put it outside his room so his mother could pick it up on her way to pack her own things.   
  
Gordo pulled out a backpack and plopped down on his bed. He opened a drawer in his nightstand to look for entertainment for the upcoming plane ride. He pulled an iPod and headphones, a crossword book, and pulled two books off of the top of the nightstand, and he was done. Gordo put all of the items into his backpack and jumped down the stairs.  
  
Howard hung up the phone and turned around only to collide with is son who was hurtling full-speed towards the door.   
  
"Whoa," Mr. Gordon said, "slow down, Cowboy, we don't leave until tomorrow."   
  
"Oh," Gordo said, "whoops," he turned away from his father in slight embarrassment, and trudged his way back up to his room.   
  
He had been so anxious to escape reality, so ready to just leave his life and start a new one. His father looked up the stairs worriedly, a crease of concern slowly appearing on his forehead.  
  
"We have got to get that boy out of here. Soon," he whispered to himself.  
  
Gordo flopped down onto his bed and closed his eyes. He began daydreaming about what it would be like to move. Images of his friends instantly flooded his mind. His school, the places he hung out in during his spare time, the streets and neighborhoods... He had never truly grown attached to Chicago, it just never felt right to him. There was always that same something missing from his life, and although he could never put a finger on it, he knew it was there.  
  
The teenage eventually drifted into a peaceful dreamland filled with the most happiness he'd ever known. There was a girl with a head full of long blonde curls. They were on the beach, and the teenage girl was beckoning him to follow her. He did so, and she led him to a quiet space behind a sand dune. It was time for the sunset, and beautiful colors soon painted themselves across the sky. The only audible sound was the gentle crashing of the waves at their feet.  
  
Gordo looked over at the girl, but a shadow was covering her face. He didn't think he'd ever seen her before, but he felt like he'd known her his whole life. She grabbed his hand and a shock hurtled through him. He jumped in surprise, but she seemed not to notice, as she was pointing to a gigantic cruise ship on the horizon, trying to get him to look at it. He looked over to her, and she slowly began to turn her face to meet his...  
  
"Gordo, get up!" Roberta knocked on the door to her son's room and yelled in to awaken him from the depths of his dreams. "Come down for dinner, honey."  
  
Gordo opened his eyes and shook his head in confusion at the dream from his previous nap. He didn't quite understand it. He had never felt more satisfied and complete in his whole life as he had when he had been with that girl; and not only did he not know who she was, he hadn't even seen her face.

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Well? Do you like it? Black Knight 03 thanks for the suggestion, I kind of took it, I'll do more in the next chapter. Please review and tell me what you think. Suggestions, again, are still appreciated. Review!!! lol, thanks.


	9. Goodbye Chicago

Hey everyone! I uploaded this chapter a while ago, because I'm on vacation, but I didn't want to leave you 'updateless' for 3 weeks. hehe. Here's the next chapter. I hope you like it. Thanks so much again for your reviews, I absolutely adore them. They make my day.

P.S. I changed the name of Chapter 7, because I gave it the wrong name before, but the contents of the chapter is still the same.

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Chapter 9: Goodbye Chicago  
  
The Gordon family sat down to dinner, and the details of the house quickly became the preferred topic of conversation.   
  
"Where is it, Howard?" Roberta asked, as the family began to eat their dinner.  
  
"Not telling!" he replied in a very childish manner, a mischievous grin creeping onto his face.   
  
"How big is it?" asked Gordo.  
  
"Not telling," Howard teased his son. Gordo laughed and chucked his napkin at his father, who caught it and threw it back at him. Gordo stood up, slightly bent from laughter, his hand raised with his napkin, and he was ready to throw it. Howard stood up and started running towards his son who turned and bolted into the living room. Howard ran after him, hot on his tail, and grabbed a pillow from the couch.  
  
"Children!" Roberta yelled at them, although her eyes showed the laughter that her voice did not.  
  
Howard looked up and his jaw dropped in mock anger at being demoted from the proud rank of 'adult.' He had his hand on Gordo's shoulder, and his other hand was raised with a pillow ready to strike.  
  
They hung their heads in fake shame and made their way back to the dining room to finish their dinner.

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Gordo put his hands behind his head and laid back on his pillow. His room was pitch-black, and rain thundered down onto the roof of the house, sending a soothing sound into the depths of Gordo's room. While he was lying there, calmed thoroughly by the rain, his thoughts drifted to his life in Chicago.  
  
He had had a pretty average time in school so far; he got straight A's, and he was even on the baseball team for a year or two. He had a good group of friends and spent countless hours hanging out with them. His group consisted of mostly guys, but had a few girls mixed in as well. Despite their many differences, they all remained friends, and that was the end of it.   
  
Gordo rolled over, and those thoughts instantly left his mind. He closed his eyes and gradually began to sleep.

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At around ten o'clock the next morning Gordo appeared at the foot of the stairs. He wandered sleepily into the kitchen and pulled the cream cheese out of the refrigerator. He found a bagel and started to eat after dropping the cream cheese knife into the sink.  
  
"Sit down, Gordo, stay a while," Roberta clucked while she cleared up the dishes from her own breakfast earlier that morning.   
  
"Mmph," said Gordo in agreement, letting his mouthful of food get the better of him. He sat down at the kitchen table and flipped through the comic's section while enjoying his bagel.   
  
After he finished his breakfast, Gordo went upstairs and logged onto his computer. He talked to a couple of his friends and told them all he could about his mystery vacation. While none of them were too thrilled about the thought of him leaving, they knew he wasn't perfectly happy where he was, and they wanted the best for him.   
  
"Gordo!" Howard called from downstairs, "it's time to go!"  
  
The boy typed a quick goodbye to his friends, grabbed the backpack he packed the day before, and slid down the banister on the stairs. He ran out the door without slowing down.  
  
Howard jumped out of the way of his son and laughed.  
  
"Kids these days."  
  
The Gordon family loaded their suitcases into the trunk of the car, and climbed into the backseat. Howard told the driver where they were going, and they were on their way.

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Gordo was excited. He hoped his mom liked the house. He hoped they all like it. It was time to move on, time for a different life-style. Time for a change.  
  
He looked out of the window on the plane and saw that they were now about the clouds.  
  
The pilot's voice sounded over the intercom stating that the flight would be several hours, and there would be a food service in the middle of it. The teenage began to tire of watching the flight attendants buckle seatbelts and pretend to blow up life vests, and his mind drifted elsewhere.   
  
He was suddenly on the beach, feeling the sand underneath his feet. The boy had a mop of chocolate brown curls, that while they couldn't be considered 'long,' they still moved with the wind. He was slightly above average height, and had piercing blue eyes.   
  
It was a perfectly gorgeous day, and yet, he was alone on the beach. The sun was shining, but it wasn't too hot, and the water was a perfect cool temperature.  
  
The waves danced around Gordo's ankles as if they were begging him to join them for a swim. Gordo unbuttoned his shirt and dove into the refreshing abyss of crystal clear water. He jumped and laughed, riding the waves as they rolled slowly past him. He turned slightly to look out to sea. It was the broadest expanse of water Gordo had ever seen. He realized he was treading water, and couldn't feel the sandy bottom. Gordo turned back to get a little closer to the short, and saw a blonde girl staring at him from way off on the beach.   
  
He was far out, and couldn't see her face, but he knew this was the girl from his other dream.  
  
Gordo slowly began to swim back to shore, keeping his eyes on the girl at all times. He felt his foot hit the soft sand, and he stood up gently. He was about waist-deep in the water, and he started to walk closer to the beach.  
  
A gust of wind blew golden blonde hair in front of the girl's face, but she didn't move.  
  
Gordo was now knee deep in the ocean, and only an arms length away from the girl. Although he still couldn't see her face, she was still the most beautiful creature he'd ever laid his eyes on. She reached out a hand to him, and he took it gingerly.  
  
The same shock zoomed through him, and the angel-soft skin of her hand made his own now-pruned, wet skin feel rough as nails. She stood there quietly looking at him with the most breathtaking green eyes he'd ever seen. He reached with his other hand to wipe the hair from her face.  
  
A huge wave came down on the both of them, and Gordo was knocked down onto his back on the sand. The girl still stood, unaffected by the monstrous swell, still perfectly dry.   
  
She bent down next to him; she seemed to have a worried look in her eyes.  
  
"Gordo," she cooed, shaking him softly, "Gordo, wake up."   
  
"Gordo, Gordo!!"   
  
Gordo's eyes snapped open and he looked up at the flight attendant.  
  
"Tell the lady what you want to eat, honey," Roberta said.

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Sorry about all of the cliffies, lol, but I'm going through like a writing frenzy, and I have the next chapter planned out already. I'll probably start it in like 5 minutes once I finish typing this note. Review, please, it really does keep me going, and It just makes my day everytime I read them. Suggestions are welcome also!!!


	10. New House, Old Faces

Hey here's another chapter! I'm still on vacation, and I'm writing more, but I hope you like it! Sorry about all of the typos in the last chapter, I didn't realize them, and I apologize in advance for any others that I don't catch.

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Chapter 10:  
  
The Gordons got off their plane at the San Francisco airport, and headed down to baggage claim. They stood by the conveyor belt as bag after bag started going by.  
  
"The house is in San Francisco?" asked Gordo.  
  
"Nope," said Mr. Gordon while he scanned the airport.  
  
Once the bags were on a wagon, they went to an information desk to find out where they could get a taxi. The woman behind the desk directed them towards a doorway.  
  
Howard hailed a cab, and the driver hopped out to get their bags. The family got into the car and the driver asked them where they were going. Howard turned to his family with a widespread grin on his face.   
  
"These are for you," he said to Roberta, slipping a blindfold over her eyes.  
  
"Howard, what are you doing?" Roberta asked, lifting the blindfold slightly.  
  
"Shh, shh, just trust me," replied her husband. He fixed the blindfold on her face again, and handed the driver a slip of paper. The man nodded and started driving. Gordo looked at his father, who shook his head and told him not to worry. Gordo watched as the cars and houses flew by.  
  
Roberta had long since given up on asking questions, and appeared to be quite content in the silence of the car.  
  
When they got to the hotel, Howard paid the driver and they went inside. Howard took the blindfolds off of his wife, and she saw that they were in the Marriott. She turned to her husband with a 'what-is-the-matter-with-you?' look.  
  
"Don't worry," he said, "you'll see."  
  
They went up to the room and unpacked. It was a nice sized room, with two big comfortable beds. Gordo flopped down onto the one by the window, and closed his eyes.

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The next morning, they woke up and went down to the lobby for breakfast.  
  
"When are we going to see the house, Dad?" Gordo asked.  
  
Howard looked at his watch and adjusted it to accommodate the new time zone. It was about 10:30, "Oh, about a half-hour," he said.  
  
He called a cab and they got in, and Howard gave the driver a piece of paper with their destination, so Roberta wouldn't hear it. She, of course, had no idea where they were going because she couldn't see a thing. (A/N: not crazy, don't worry)  
  
The car came to a stop in front of the house and dropped them off. Howard paid the driver and got the phone number to call when they were done.  
  
"Can I take these off now?" Roberta asked, referring to the fabric over her eyes.  
  
"No, not until we get inside," Howard said, guiding her up the steps.  
  
"Can't I see the outside of the house?" she pleaded, feeling terribly confused.  
  
Howard smiled "Nope, later."   
  
Grumbling, Roberta gave in and let Howard show her into the house. He took off her blindfolds, and she gasped. The house was positively wonderful. Even Gordo looked impressed. To her left was the kitchen. It was completely furnished with an island in the middle. It was beautiful.  
  
The dining room was a light, slate blue. There was a ridge coming out of the wall just above head level that continued all the way around the room. It would be perfect to put pictures on. She walked around, oohing and ahhing at each and every detail, no matter how minimal.  
  
Howard turned to Gordo and they grinned at each other.  
  
"Think we got it?" the man asked his son  
  
"Definitely," Gordo replied.  
  
"Come this way," he said.  
  
Howard took Gordo through the living room, and into a room full of windows.  
  
"This will be where me and your mom's desks are, like an office type thing," Howard explained. Gordo looked around. The room wasn't big, but the full height glass windows made it seem huge. Gordo gazed out the windows onto the beach.  
  
"Wow, we're on the beach," he said.  
  
"Yeah," Howard replied, looking out as well, "nice, isn't it?"  
  
Gordo just nodded, somewhat unable to find words. There were seagulls swooping and cackling at each other. The waves were crashing onto the beach.  
  
Roberta could be heard in the next room screeching in delight at a new room she found. Howard laughed and went to her. Gordo still stared at the beach.  
  
He wanted to go swim in the ocean; he had such a burning desire for it. It was almost like the water was calling to him, making fun of him for the glass window in from of him, barricading him from the depths of the thundering water.  
  
Gordo had never spent time at the ocean. He had gone to the Great Lakes once before, but that seemed like a puddle compared to this. This was like a paradise. If his parents didn't buy this house, he didn't know what he'd do. He belonged here. He could feel it, and it felt right.  
  
He saw a group of three children running on the beach. They were all about 3 years old. Two were girls, and one was a boy. All three children and childishly curly hair, and one of the girls was blonde.   
  
Gordo leaned towards the glass, mesmerized by the children's laughter and delight. The young boy bent down into an approaching wave and the water spilled around him, climbing up the beach. They boy then looked up and the two girls walked toward him. The three children linked elbows and laughed with complete contentment.  
  
Gordo closed his eyes and sighed.  
  
"Gordo! Come here, we're going upstairs!" his father called.  
  
Gordo took one last look at the happy trio, but they were gone. He searched left and right, but the three toddlers were gone without a trace.  
  
The teenage shook his head to himself and ran up the stairs to find his parents.  
  
Mr. and Mrs. Gordon were looking at a bathroom. Gordo walked in and looked around. The tiles were a creamy color, and the walls were a light faded green.  
  
Howard pointed to the shower doors, which were a clear glass.  
  
Gordo raised his eyebrows.  
  
"The doors are clear?" he asked in surprise.  
  
"Oh relax, you have your own bathroom, and look," Howard said, he closed the shower door and the doors fogged up.  
  
"Can't see a thing, can you"?" he asked in an 'I-told-you-so' fashion.   
  
Howard grinned and turned to Roberta, "Our room is over here," he said walking into the hallway and to the right.  
  
"Gordo," he said, "go down there and on the left is your room."  
  
The boy nodded and made his way down the hall.   
  
Howard and Roberta entered the master bedroom, and Roberta gasped. This room was above the office, and also had a full view of the ocean. Roberta turned around and threw her arms around her husband, who laughed and hugged her happily.  
  
"I guess this means you like it then?" he asked with a smile.  
  
"It's perfect," she said, "but how much is it?"  
  
He told her and she squealed like a seven-year-old in a candy store. Howard laughed and picked her up and whirled her around.  
  
"Wait," Roberta said, walking over to the window.  
  
"What," her husband replied, a knowing smile making an appearance on his face.  
  
"I know this beach," she whispered.  
  
Gordo opened the door to his room and looked around. He, too, had an ocean view, and it was breathtaking. He turned around several times, already mentally picturing where everything would go when he noticed something peculiar. He walked over to a window on the wall adjacent to the beach view.  
  
Through the window he could see right into a room in another house. The windows were so close together it would have been easy to climb through.  
  
While he was examining the other room, the door over there burst open, and a girl walked in, chatting on the phone with her friend. Pictures instantly flew into Gordo's mind. The beach. A girl. Electricity flew through him. He opened his eyes and looked at the blonde girl that was maybe 5 feet from him. Even though he could only see the back of her head, he knew. It was the girl of his dreams. Literally.

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Ahh! lol, do you like it? Review! Tell me. I'm having a lot of fun writing this, and I hope you're enjoying it. Thanks to everyone who's reviewed, you guys are the best. Another chapter up soon. Review!!! lol


	11. Boy Meets Girl

Sorry about the layout, why don't they let you use 'tab' anymore? I can't get any indents on my paragraphs! Ahh lol. If anyone knows how to do it would you tell me? And if it bothers you, I'll post it over again.

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Chapter 11: Boy Meets Girl  
  
Lizzie opened her eyes and yawned. She tolled over and swung her legs off the side of the bed, bringing her self to an upright position. She stretched, then stood up and walked out her door, and smacked into her brother.  
  
"Oh hey, Matt," she said, still half-asleep and too tired to get into a deep conversation.  
  
"Hey, Lizzie," he replied, raising an eyebrow at her pajamas.  
  
"Liz, it's 1:30, did you really just wake up?" he asked.  
  
"Yeah, so what? It's not that late. Where's the partner in crime?" she asked her brother, referring to his friend Lanny.  
  
"He's visiting relatives, I'm meeting Melena at the Digital Bean at 3, wanna come?"  
  
"No thanks, I think I'll start with breakfast," she said, and smiled at him.  
  
Matt smiled, somewhat amused, "Did I not just say it was 1:30?"  
  
Lizzie just grinned at him.  
  
Matt rolled his eyes and started down the stairs.  
  
"Teenagers."  
  
Lizzie laughed and went back into her room. She got dressed and looked around. There was a piece of crumpled red fabric on the floor. She picked it up, and saw that it was Miranda's shirt. She smiled; Miranda was so nice. It was definitely the beginning of a wonderful friendship between the two girls. Their mothers couldn't have been more pleased, and had talked for hours the day before when Miranda's mom had come to pick her up.  
  
Lizzie folded the shirt and put it on her desk, then she got dressed and went downstairs.  
  
"Good morning, sleepyhead," said Jo.  
  
"Morning, mom," the girl said, taking out a bowl and a spoon.  
  
"What are we doing today?" Lizzie asked her mother while she searched for some cereal.  
  
"Shouldn't you be eating lunch now, honey?" Jo asked her daughter with a smile.  
  
"Ugh, what is it with you people?" Lizzie said. The two looked at each other and burst out laughing. Jo gave her daughter a hug then started to make her a sandwich.  
  
"Well," she began, Mrs. Sanchez and I are going out to a store a little ways from here, and she's dropping Miranda off on the way here. They should be here in about 45 minutes."  
  
Lizzie put her cereal away and took the sandwich from her mom.  
  
"Oh! That reminds me, I have to call her!" the teenager exclaimed.  
  
"But she'll be here soon," Jo said.  
  
"I'll tell her to bring a bathing suit. We can go down to the beach," Lizzie pointed in the direction of her backyard.  
  
"Oh good idea, here's her number," Mrs. McGuire said, handing Lizzie a piece of paper.  
  
"Thanks mom!"  
  
Lizzie grabbed the phone and ran into the living room. She dialed the phone and heard Miranda's cheery voice at the other end.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
The two girls quickly engaged in conversation and Lizzie walked up the stairs. She took a peek into Matt's room to see if he was there.  
  
"Hey, Lizard."  
  
He was.  
  
"Hey worm," she said. She told her friend to call her back and sprawled herself out on her brother's bed. He swiveled around in his chair and turned to look at her.  
  
"What's up, sis?" he asked, placing his hands behind his heard and slouching slightly in his chair for a more comfortable chat with his sister.  
  
"Just wanted to say hi, see what's going on with your life," she said to him. She nudged him lightly with her foot.  
  
"Nothing really," he said, and wheeled his chair over closer to her head, which was on his pillow.  
  
"What's really wrong, Liz?" he asked her. Although sibling rivalry did exist in the McGuire household, the pair always pulled through for each other; they were not only family, but friends as well.  
  
"Is there something wrong with me?" she asked him, sitting up and looking in front of her, wringing her hands slightly.  
  
"No..." Matt said, a little unsure of where this was going, "why?"  
  
"Is there a reason guys don't like me? Am I not pretty enough, or smart enough? What is it?" she crashed back down onto the bed and looked at the ceiling.  
  
Matt cringed. Ah yes. Here it was. The day Lizzie would turn to him for advice on guys was finally here, and it was already off to an inauspicious beginning.  
  
"Liz, I'm not exactly sure I'm the one to give you advice about this, but I'll try, ok? Just because you're my favorite sister."  
  
Under normal circumstances, Lizzie would have rolled her eyes and countered with the usual: 'I'm your only sister,' but now she just nodded eagerly.  
  
"Ok," Matt exhaled, "you're really smart, Lizzie, you know that, and I just, and-" he paused, "Can't you talk to some girl about this?" he said, obviously never willingly jumping into a 'girl topic.'  
  
The phone rang and Lizzie answered it, talking excitedly with her friend.  
  
"Thank god," Matt whispered as she slipped out of his room with a quick hug and a wave. He raised his hand and waved back at her before rolling his chair back to his computer and talking with his friends.  
  
Lizzie and Miranda actually talked once in a while in between giggles and laughs while Miranda told Lizzie a story about a cute boy she ran into at the mall.  
  
Lizzie opened the door to her bedroom and looked for her cell phone on her desk. She said the occasional 'yeah' or 'uh-huh' to show that she was paying attention to her friend's story while she punched Miranda's house and cell number into her phonebook and saved it.  
  
"So bring a bathing suit, ok?" Lizzie said when the two girls got ready to hang up.  
  
"Ok I will, I'll see you in like, 5 minutes!" Miranda squealed.  
  
"Ok! See ya!" Lizzie chimed in. the girls hung up and Lizzie sat down at her desk. She cleared it up a bit, then stood up and turned around to make sure the room was clean before Miranda got there.  
  
When she turned around she saw a boy staring at her as if she was the only thing he'd ever seen. He was in the house next door; she had never seen anyone in that room before, and now all of a sudden there was this boy in there.  
  
Lizzie wasn't quite sure of what to do. She fidgeted nervously under the boy's fixated gaze. He looked somewhat familiar, definitely cute, and those eyes... but what was he doing there? She couldn't help but feel uncomfortable.  
  
"Oh... h-hi," she finally stammered, clasping her hand to her opposite elbow and breaking down into the official nervous mode.  
  
"H-Hey," he said back. He couldn't stop looking at her. After so many dreams where her face had been hidden from him, he actually saw her now, and wow was she gorgeous!  
  
She wasn't just some cute blonde you see everyday, she was positively stunning. The boy tore his eyes away from her and managed to squeak a few words out of his mouth.  
  
"I'm David Gordon, but everybody calls me Gordo," he said as suavely as he could.  
  
Lizzie's jaw dropped and her mind was spinning.  
  
First Miranda, now him too?  
  
So many things rushed through her. She put her hand on her forehead to try to stop her brain from the point of explosion. She felt like jumping for joy and screaming at the top of her lungs. This was easily the only moment of her life that was full on, Janice-worthy 'Oh... my...god..." over the top insane. She looked back at him. What had he said again? Did she hear him correctly?  
  
"I'm David Gordon, but everyone calls me Gordo."  
  
"L-Lizzie McGuire," she said, "This can't be happening," she whispered to herself, looking through the 12 inch space between the two bedrooms.  
  
Gordo looked at her, about to say something when several screams were heard from downstairs.  
  
The two teens broke their stunned gazes from each other and turned to Lizzie's bedroom door, which was emitting the sounds of two old best friends reuniting from downstairs.  
  
Gordo had heard women completely freak out about something before, like a cute baby, or a special gift relating to some inside joke with a dear friend; but the squeals and cries he heard now from the McGuire's downstairs, however muffled, were in a class of their own.  
  
Lizzie and Gordo turned back to each other.  
  
"Well w-we should probably go down there..." Lizzie said, incredibly overwhelmed by the current situation.  
  
"Yeah," Gordo agreed, running his hands through his hair out of nervous habit. "Should I-" he signaled going through Lizzie's house to get down to the reunion.  
  
"No, no go back that way, I'll meet you down there," Lizzie replied.  
  
"Y-Yeah, ok," Gordo reluctantly tore his eyes away from hers and turned towards his bedroom door. She's beautiful, he though.  
  
Lizzie watched him go, and thought about everything that was happening to her lately. She felt different talking to him; almost unsure of herself. She almost never stuttered, and if she did, it was because she was cold or scared watching a movie.  
  
The girl sighed and turned to go downstairs. So that's why he looked familiar. Gordo turned around to see if she was still there. He saw her walking away and out her door. He took a deep breath and made his way downstairs.  
  
She seemed nice. He understood why she wanted him to go back through 'his' house instead of through hers. Their parents would probably be confused as to how he got there; although it certainly would have been easier to just climb through her window.  
  
Gordo crossed the front lawn and saw his mother in a tight embrace with a blonde woman, and Lizzie standing next to them, smiling gently at him.

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Did you like it? Review, review!! lol, sorry again about the layout.

Let me know what you think!


	12. The Reunion

Hey! Sorry it took so long! Thanks so much to the people who reviewed. Here it is!! Good luck to those in Florida lol.

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Chapter 12: The Reunion

Mrs. Gordon rushed through the house, skipped down he stairs and ran out the door. Sure enough, there next door was the McGuire's house. _That's why he made me wear the blindfolds,_ she thought. She rang their doorbell, heart pounding and knees knocking; her head seemed ready to burst from so much anxiety.

Jo walked calmly to the door and opened it.

The two women stood stock-still staring at each other, then burst into tears. Both women hugged and sobbed, not saying a word, as none seemed necessary, and no words existed that could properly convey their emotions.

Howard and Sam came to the door and smiled. They shook hands and quietly congratulated each other on a job well done.

Lizzie silently descended the stairs and beamed at the two hugging women in her doorway. She saw Gordo walking across her lawn and gave him a smile and a small wave. She couldn't remember feeling quite as well as she did that very moment.

Gordo stepped into the house and the women separated, each one flying to the other's family and capturing them in hugs and questions.

Gordo eventually made his way over to Lizzie, who smiled nervously at him, an awkward silence already poisoning their nonexistent conversation.

The two teenagers looked at their parents were still hugging, and in Jo and Roberta's case, overcome with tears. Lizzie looked back at Gordo.

"Small hug for old times sake?" she asked with a genuine smile.

Gordo grinned and opened his arms slightly, "Sure."

Lizzie moved closer and Gordo wrapped his arms her, instantly overwhelmed by the wonderful smell of her hair. Gordo closed his eyes and pulled Lizzie closer. In that one moment his whole life changed, whether he realized it or not; the gap in his heart filled, the small empty space in his brain reserved especially for happiness was empty no more.

The boy innocently touched his nose to the blonde's hair, and a mixture of coconut, strawberry, and the ocean breeze flooded his senses.

The two pulled away slowly, and what seemed like a long hug ended after only a few seconds.

Lizzie looked at the boy sheepishly and saw him looking back at her, the smallest tinge of pink in his cheeks. He smiled and opened his mouth to start up conversation when a young boy appeared at the top of the stairs.

Roberta covered her mouth and whispered, "My god, that must be Matt," Mrs. McGuire nodded her head and motioned or her son to come over to her.

"They grow up so fast!" Howard joked. After more hellos and laughs, Matt was excused to Melena's house early to wait for her father to drive them to the Digital Bean.

10 minutes later, Sam and Howard were slowly but surely inching away from the crowd to go talk in the backyard, when a car pulled into the McGuire's driveway. All six heads turned to see Miranda and Daniella Sanchez stepping out of the car.

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Jo and Daniella had decided on a raincheck for shopping, and they had called Mr. Sanchez (name?), and the nine people were lounging peacefully in the McGuire's gorgeous backyard.

The three teenagers excused themselves and walked down to the beach on the edge of the lawn.

The McGuire's backyard sloped down at the edge and changed into a slanted sand wall leading down to the beach.

Once the trio had reached the edge of the water they were perfectly secluded from the busy chatter and sight of the upbeat adults.

Lizzie, Miranda, and Gordo strolled through the sand, catching up on each other and sharing stories. Lizzie walked in the middle, with Miranda on her left and Gordo on her right closest to the waves. Lizzie and Miranda laughed about some joke Miranda had told, and the curly-haired boy couldn't stop himself from thinking about how beautiful Lizzie looked. With her blonde hair flowing in the wind, and the moon reflecting off her smile, he couldn't imagine a more perfect way to spend his evening.

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Many different topics sneaked into the much awaited dinner conversation that night, but after the adults had been filled in on every aspect of the teenagers' lives that they were willing to share, the three friends made their way away from the table to have some time to themselves.

They walked over to the house next door to the McGuires, which Roberta and Howard had recently agreed to buy, much to everyone's delight.

"So this... pretty cool," Gordo started, smiling lightly at the two girls.

"I know!! Isn't it?" Miranda exclaimed, "it's so cool! I never thought I'd see either of you again, and here you are, and we can hang out, and go places, and do stuff, and-and-and," she said in one breath.

All three burst out laughing and walked into the room that Gordo would soon be occupying.

"Wow, it's gorgeous, Gordo," Miranda said, looking around, "and look! That's Lizzie's room!" she ran over to the window and climbed through, falling safely onto Lizzie's bed on the other side.

Lizzie chuckled softly at her friend's spunky demeanor, and turned to Gordo.

"Yeah, that should be interesting," she whispered to Gordo.

"It'll be fun, I'll have someone to talk to- all the time," he smiled.

Lizzie grinned, and the two climbed through into Lizzie's room.

Gordo looked around and memories of the still-pink room came flooding back to him.

The room was still very much the same. She still had pictures of her friends on her dresser, although the one of the three friends was near the back. There was no longer a changing table there, but a computer desk with even more pictures.

"How 'bout a movie?" Lizzie suggested walking over to her door.

"Sure," her two friends replied.

The trio slipped downstairs into the McGuire's basement.

Lizzie walked over to a shelf and opened it for the other two to see their movie choices for the evening.

"The Matrix, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter," Miranda began reading off titles, "Finding Nemo, You've Got Mail, Legally Blonde, My Girl- oh! Can we watch that, I haven't seen it in so long!" she exclaimed.

Lizzie nodded, then turned to Gordo for approval. He shrugged.

"Why not? I've never seen it," he said.

"Me neither," said Lizzie.

Miranda popped the movie into the DVD player and sat down on Lizzie's right.

They watched the movie and ate popcorn, quite content with each other's company, when halfway through the movie, Mrs. Sanchez's cheery face appeared at the top of the stairs.

"Miranda, we have to go, you have a doctor's appointment tomorrow morning."

Miranda's constant smile turned upside down at the thought of leaving her friends, but she knew that she'd see them soon. She gave both Lizzie and Gordo each a quick hug, then ran up the stairs.

"Our parents will probably talk 'til next week," Gordo joked.

Lizzie laughed and agreed, and the two refocused on the movie.

The two teenagers watched as Veda and Thomas J quickly kissed- just to see what it was like. Lizzie laughed.

"Aw, that's so adorable," she said.

Gordo politely nodded, although he wasn't too thrilled with the movie choice.

He cocked his head sideways at Lizzie, "Did we ever- you know- kiss before?"

Lizzie looked at him strangely.

"Yeah, I think so, I don't really think it counts though," she added quietly.

Gordo chuckled, "Well, lets not count it then," he said, turning back to the screen.

"Deal," Lizzie replied softly.

The two teens watched as Veda's father solemnly told her that her best friend had died, and the girl burst into tears.

"Oh no," Lizzie whispered, "why?"

Gordo looked confused, then pointed to the screen, "The bees," he said, "Thomas J. was allergic to them."

"I know," Lizzie replied, "but why would they do something like that? It's so sad," Lizzie silently watched the young girl on screen during her friend's funeral. Veda was walking past the people at the service and went right up to the casket.

_"Wanna go out and play, Thomas J?"_ the girl said.

Lizzie gasped and covered her mouth, her eyes filled with tears.

_"Wear are his glasses? He can't see without his glasses!"_ the young girl in the movie was in hysterics, and tears started to stream down Lizzie's cheeks as she began to cry. Gordo looked over to her and put a hand on her shoulder.

"It's just a movie, Lizzie, don't cry," he said to her lightly.

Lizzie just cried silently, letting the tears fall, she went to dry her eyes, but Gordo beat her to it. He wiped her tears gently with his thumb. Lizzie shivered softly, letting her blonde curls fall over her wet face.

Gordo hesitantly put an arm around her, somewhat uncertain if it was the right thing to do, and Lizzie buried her head in his shoulder. Veda ran though the house crying, and Gordo put his other arm around Lizzie, hugging her gently.

Lizzie gradually stopped crying when Gordo began to rock her slowly back and forth.

She pulled away from him and he tucked a lock of damp hair behind her ear.

"Better?" he asked her soothingly.

She nodded and whispered, "Thanks."

He smiled at her and she returned the smile gratefully.

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Sam and Howard sat on the patio talking.

"I think this counts as good deed of the year, don't you?" Sam asked his old friend.

"We did good," Howard agreed.

The two men made eye contact with a mischievous twinkle, clinked glasses, and relaxed to listen to their wives' light-hearted laughs.

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Well? How'd I do? Review! Let me know. I've seen the movie 'My Girl' like 5 times, it's made me cry every single time. I'm not sure that the lines are the same, but they're pretty close. I hoped you liked it, look for another chapter soon!


	13. Just a Day, an Ordinary Day

I am soooooooo sorry this took so long, I'm a terrible person, I know, and I'm very ashamed. I'll definitely make a huge effort to not take that long again.

I haven't been doing this lately, so I'll do it now. To all the people who reviewed, thank you guys so much, you are my inspiration for keeping this story going, and I think you are all wonderful for the support you have given me.

**Black Knight03-** You've reviewed every single chapter, and I'm so grateful for it, you give me advice, and answers to the questions I ask, and I wanted to tell you how much it means.

**JuicyBabe-** hehe thanks so much. That made me smile. :o)

**Lilangel413-** Thanks so much, you've reviewed many of my chapters as well, and they always make me smile.

**Purplegirl1818-** Thanks. I know!!! I cry every single time I watch it, it's so sad!!! ahhhh

**Annika-** I'm sorry I took so long, I hope this chapter and the next one will make it up to everyone.

And without further ado...

-

**Chapter 13: Just a Day, an Ordinary Day**

"So what did you guys do after I left?" Miranda asked her friend the next day.

The two girls were by the pool at the camp watching their group of girls play water polo with three of the lifeguards and a group of boys their age. The game had gradually turned into a game of 'keep-away' between the boys and the girls, and naturally, the boys were screaming every time the girls got the ball.

"Well you left in the middle of the movie, so we just finished it, talked for a while, and they went back to the hotel," Lizzie explained.

"Did you like the movie?" Miranda asked her happily.

"No!" the blonde shouted, "How could you let us watch something like that? It was so sad! I was practically sobbing at the end! What kind of horrible people would make a movie like that? It's ridiculous, I-"

"Lizzie! You're rambling!" Miranda laughed.

"Sorry," Lizzie smiled sheepishly, "but still!"

"Did Gordo like it?"

"I doubt it," Lizzie confirmed," it's kind of a chick-flick," she said.

"True," Miranda agreed, "Aw, you cried?"

Lizzie laughed and Miranda looked confused.

"Miranda! I said that like, 5 minutes ago!"

The girls laughed and sighed; lying on the pool deck propped up by their elbows.

"But yeah, I cried, it was so sad!" Lizzie exclaimed.

"True, I cried when I saw it too," the brunette admitted, "so then what?"

"Um. Well, he hugged me and told me it was just a movie, and then we went upstairs," Lizzie said.

"I meant after the movie, genius," Miranda joked.

"I knew that," Lizzie giggled, dangling her feet in the water, "we just went outside and talked for a while. They're coming over for dinner tonight, you guys should definitely come." She turned to her friend, a hopeful look on her face.

"Sorry, chica, we're all going to my uncle's house. It's my cousin's birthday; she's turning 17. It's a surprise party, though, shh! Don't tell anyone," she chided and elbowed the blonde lightly, a widespread grin on her face.

"Oh, I'll try not to!" Lizzie shot back.

The two girls laughed, then laid down to catch some rays before it was time to take the girls to lunch.

-

When it was time to go home, Lizzie said goodbye to Miranda, who was leaving for her uncle's house straight from camp, then sat down to wait for the campers to be picked up.

At around ten after 4, it was time for her to go home, and she walked out the exit of the camp. She saw a familiar figure across the street and he waved her over.

"Hey, Gordo!" she said happily.

"Hey!" he smiled at her, "my parents are at you house, but you mom said you'd be here."

Lizzie laughed.

"Wanna go get an ice cream or something?" she asked him.

"Sure!" he agreed enthusiastically, "sounds a lot better than being interviewed by our moms."

The two teens shared a laugh and walked to the nearest Baskin Robbins. Gordo opened the door and they walked in. Lizzie got a strawberry milkshake, and Gordo got rocky road on a cone.

They paid and left, walking absentmindedly around the back streets of Hillridge, when a familiar sight filled their eyes. The park.

Lizzie turned to Gordo, an unreadable, but definitely happy look etched on her face.

"Care for a stroll down Memory Lane?"

He looked down the dirt path of the park with a faraway look in his eyes, then turned back to Lizzie with an adorable smile.

"Lets go!"

He offered Lizzie an elbow, she linked hers through his, and the pair started walking down the path, side by side like they used to.

-

"This was you idea?" Jo McGuire screamed at her husband, who was grinning proudly at her.

"Well, yeah," he said, "Howard called one day a month or so ago, and I told him there was a house for sale next door, and-"

"You knew about this?" Roberta yelled, hugging her husband, then running over to Jo and hugging her as well.

Both men grinned and shook hands, thrilled that their wives were good friends again, and their kids seemed to be getting along so well.

The two couples sat down in the living room and talked excitedly about past years and memories of the three kids from when they were young, figuring it would only embarrass them if they were present for such a conversation.

"So where are you staying? Close by?" Jo asked in a hopeful tone.

"At the Marriott, about a half hour from here," Howard replied quickly.

"Oh! That's too far! Sam exclaimed, "Come stay here for the rest of the week," he suggested, explaining the guest bed and bathrooms down the hall. Jo finished his idea, giving Gordo any couch he wanted from the next few days.

The Gordons were thrilled at the proposal and accepted at once, saying they'd return to the hotel after dinner and fetch their belongings. The women stood up and practically danced and skipped into the kitchen to prepare dinner, and the men journeyed next door to the 'Gordon-household-to-be,' to figure out the type of work that would need to be done.

-

Lizzie and Gordo strolled aimlessly through the park, still linked at the elbows, listening to the squeals and giggles of the children, and feeling the tender caress of the summer breeze in their faces.

They wandered off the trail of their childhood fairyland and approached a lake under the evening sky.

The lake was beautiful, surrounded by soft green grass and blossoming flowers, decorated with lilypads and ducklings. A big willow tree stood on the side of it, bellowing over a piece of the crystal clear water. A family of rabbits huddled together with twitching noses and bushy tails, enjoying an early dinner on the grass. The night was young, and the stars few, but those that shined shone iridescently like diamonds painted on an indigo sky.

"Wow," Lizzie whispered, afraid too much noise would spoil the enchanting splendor of the scenery.

"It's so peaceful," Gordo said, his voice showing complete awe and amazement.

Lizzie tugged on his arm and he turned, smiling warmly at her.

"We should probably go back for dinner, huh?" he said gently.

"Yeah," she whispered back, "lets go."

The old friends turned around and walked back down the path together.

When they got to the McGuire's door, Lizzie detached her arm from Gordo's and opened the door.

They found everyone in the living room and went in to say hello.

"Why don't you kids go upstairs, we'll call you down when everything's ready," Jo said, taking a sip of wine.

"Sure, mom," Lizzie said cheerfully.

The two teenagers went into Lizzie's room, and Lizzie flopped down on her bed, leaving room for Gordo to sit down next to her. The waves crashed in the distance and the calming noise flooded into the room. Lizzie edged over and patted the bed next to her. Gordo laid down and both teens let their feet dangle over the side of the bed. They lay there several minutes in complete quiet, looking up at Lizzie's ceiling until Gordo broke the silence.

"What do you think would have happened it I hadn't moved? Do you think we'd still be friends?" he asked her, his voice quiet and calm.

"Yeah," she whispered, "I do."

-

Dinner was pretty uneventful besides Jo and Roberta crooning over stories of Lizzie and Gordo from when they were little. Sam and Howard were in a deep discussion about garden gnomes, and Lizzie and Gordo were in their own little world. Matt was at Lanny's once again, but had promised to be present the next day.

"You're staying here tonight?" Lizzie said to Gordo, before a mouthful of salad, "that's so cool! What do you want to do?"

"Well," Gordo replied, putting his hand to his chin pretending to be in deep thought, "I've actually never been on the beach at night," he admitted, a small twinkle in his eye.

"We were just on the beach last night with Miranda, or has that left your memory already?" she teased.

"Funny," he smiled, "that was more of... dusk, than really night," he said mischievously.

Lizzie caught on, and her eyes flashed the same twinkle.

"We'll have to sneak out," she whispered into his ear.

"I'm game if you are."

-

There it is! Finally! I'm sorry once again I took so long, let me know what you think! Thanks also to **LilAngel413, luckyducky8200, saltwatergal89, stormynights78613, LoveMeTender, bluegirl03, clarktom, I3ittersweet, harrypottergirlie89, Elementals, Loopylou1, peaches n pears, **and **Laney-wood** for reviewing my other story, Under the Stars, **Lara783**, your review didn't get posted on the site for some reason, but I got the review email, thank you. **Ambrosia-**, Thank you so much for the longest review I've ever gotten, hehe.

I'll update sooner! I promise. Also, any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.


	14. Midnight Ramble

Hey! Once again, I am SOOO sorry it took so long. I could tell you a million true excuses, but you probably don't want to hear (read) them. So here's the chapter. lol.

-

Chapter 14: Midnight Ramble

After dinner, Howard, Roberta, and Gordo departed to go get their suitcases to bring them to the McGuire's. Lizzie was twitching with excitement. She was so eager to spend more time with Gordo, who, with Miranda, was quickly climbing on her list of closest friends. She connected with them on such a deep level; Miranda could always cheer her up just by smiling, and Gordo was just great to be with. She was so genuinely happy.

She skipped down the stairs and into the kitchen, where her mom was doing the dishes from dinner. A smile crept its way onto her face for no particular reason, and she turned around and went back upstairs.

The blonde walked into her room and started cleaning. It wasn't very messy, but there was an open drawer here, a shirt on the floor over there...

Lizzie cleaned up the room until she heard a car in the driveway. She pushed the last drawer shut and went downstairs. She opened the door and went outside to help the Gordon's bring in their bags, but Howard seemed to have a whole system working by the time she got out there, and apparently didn't need much help.

While Mr. and Mrs. Gordon were bringing the bags in, Gordo walked over to Lizzie and the two journeyed around the house into the backyard. It was 7:30, and still fairly light out, the sounds of the waves thundering several feet away seemed to almost freeze time.

"So," Gordo turned to look at Lizzie as they sat down in a hammock slung between two palm trees.

"I was thinking that we should go at around midnight, my parents are usually fast asleep by then, and the guest room isn't within hearing distance of the stairs or the back door," Lizzie explained.

Gordo grinned, "I like the way you think, McGuire."

The two teens laughed and swung back and forth on the hammock, enjoying the early summer breeze and each other's company.

When it got darker, at around 8:30, the two friends went inside to find the four adults in the guest bedroom where the Gordon's would be staying for the next few days. Jo came out and motioned for the teenagers to follow her.

"Gordo," she started, "you can sleep on the couch in the living room, the basement, or on the floor in Matt's room, which I wouldn't recommend," she scrunched her nose, "who knows what's living in there, I have to make him clean it up."

Gordo looked to Lizzie to see which location would be most strategic for their forbidden escapade that night.

"I'd say the living room, you'll get the ocean breeze," Lizzie said.

Jo looked to Gordo for conformation, and Lizzie stood behind her, nodding her head furiously. Gordo agreed silently.

"Sounds good, Mrs. McGuire," he said.

"Great!" Jo chirped, "Gordo, call me Jo, it makes me feel younger," she laughed and went upstairs to get some extra sheets for him.

"Ok," Gordo smiled, then turned to Lizzie, "So, tonight, I think you should come downstairs and get me, 'cause if you get caught down here it'll be much better than me getting caught upstairs," he told her.

"Definitely, and then we'd just have to come back down anyway," she stated.

"Oh yeah."

The two teens shared an eye twinkle, then Gordo gave Lizzie's shoulder a tight squeeze and went to go get his bad from his parent's room.

-

The two happy families sat around the living room for a while until, when around 10:30, one by one the adults started tiring, and the conversation switched to an early bedtime. Jo arose from the depths of the couch, said her goodnights and went to bed.

Lizzie glanced at Gordo, who nodded, then she stood up and announced that she was going to sleep. She hugged Mr. and Mrs. Gordon, her dad, then Gordo, who whispered in her ear before letting her go.

"See you later."

She pulled away from him, looked into his twinkling blue eyes, then made her way upstairs. The remaining number of people in the McGuire's living room started to dwindle down until Gordo was alone. He put the sheets and blankets on the couch and fell right asleep.

-

Lizzie checked on Matt, who was being positively antisocial, and saw that he, too, was sleeping. She changed into her pajamas, brushed her teeth and hair, washed her face, and returned her bedroom. She set her alarm for 12:30 AM, clicked her light off, and went to sleep, a pair of bright blue eyes shining brightly in her dreams.

-

The blonde grumbled when her alarm rang, but shut it quickly so as not to wake anyone up. She slipped out of bed and went over to the window, checking the weather. Perfect.

She tiptoed over to her door and down the stairs, careful to skip the bottom one because it creaked. She inched into the living room, mentally scolding herself for wearing shorts. She saw the couch where Gordo was sleeping and made her way over to it.

She sat down gently on the edge of the couch, and tried to wake him up.

"I was wondering when you were gonna come," he whispered, sitting up slowly.

Lizzie jumped slightly, having thought he was asleep, but stood up and yanked the blanket off him.

"C'mon! Let's go!"

Gordo stretched and stood up, looking over the blonde's head on purpose to silently mock her height. Lizzie caught on, and hit his shoulder softly. He laughed quietly and walked over to the back door.

"Well, are you coming?" he asked her as he opened the door. He grabbed a button down shirt and followed Lizzie out the door.

They walked barefoot over the soft grass and down the hill until they reached the beach. The waves cashed and moved up and down the shore, beckoning the two teenagers forward. The stars were out; looking like tiny cut-out diamonds hung in the clear black sky. A cool breeze tickled their necks as it cut across the open beach.

"Wow, it's... nice," Gordo said, somewhat awestruck.

Lizzie laughed, and they began walking; Lizzie was closest to the waves.

"So what do you think it would have been like if you hadn't moved?" Lizzie asked him, her eyes full of soft pain and confusion.

Gordo felt his heart wrench as he looked down into her green eyes, but he laughed it off.

"We'd probably be doing the same thing we are now," he chuckled.

They laughed and agreed quietly, Lizzie looked at Gordo's profile and smiled, trying to ignore the bubbling feeling in her stomach whenever he looked at her.

A wave inched up toward the strolling teenagers and danced around Lizzie's feet, she shrieked and giggled in surprise, running behind Gordo to his other side. He laughed at her girly antics, and watched as her golden hair bounced around in the moonlight.

"Lizzie," he began, he stopped walking and looked at her, placing a gentle hand on her forearm, "this is probably the most girly thing I've ever said," he started walking again, not taking his hand off of her arm, she walked with him.

"What, Gordo?" she asked softly.

"Since we 'never' kissed before," he said, referring to they other night when they had abolished their kiss as toddlers, "who's the _lucky_ guy that got to kiss you first?" he said, teasing her lightly.

"Gordo!" she laughed and hit his arm softly, he laughed, but looked at her, his gaze daring her to answer.

"Um, I don't know," she said, slightly uncomfortable.

"Ugh," Gordo said in an overly sarcastic voice, "you California kids, always getting drunk and smashed," he looked at her, eyes gleaming with mischief.

Lizzie laughed and nudged him.

"I wasn't drunk, I just haven't exactly had one."

"Oh, alright," Gordo said, eyes still sparkling, "I would have thought guys would line up outside your door every morning, with their mouths puckered up like this." He made a rather obnoxious kissy face then opened his eyes and ran, just nearly escaping another hit on the shoulder from the blonde that was hot on his tail.

The two ran down the beach, laughing and giggling, their feet kicking up sand everywhere until Lizzie finally caught him.

"Ok," Gordo panted, still tired from the sprint down the shoreline, "I won't tease you anymore, just don't make me run again."

Lizzie laughed, "Deal."

They hugged, and Lizzie pulled back slowly, looking up at Gordo.

"Soooo," she began in a taunting voice, "what was _your_ first kiss like Mr. Gordon?"

Gordo blushed lightly, and looked down at the sand.

"I don't know..."

Lizzie laughed, "Oh you Chicago kids, always getting drunk and sma-"

Gordo put a finger under her chin and lifted her mouth up to his. He touched his lips to hers and closed his eyes. The stars twinkled and the wind blew, rustling the palm trees in the breeze.

The boy pulled away a touch, and Lizzie opened her eyes slowly, looking at Gordo wide-eyed, the tiniest smile barely visible on her face. He smiled down at her and answered her question.

"It was perfect."

-

YAY lol. I'm sorry again. I feel terrible, but I'm trying. Also, if any of you have seen the musical Wicked (soooo great), in the next few days I'll be posting a fic for that, but if you haven't seen it, I wouldn't recommend reading it. That's already been written, and I'll be focusing more on finishing this fic as much as I can. Please review! See you soon.


	15. Reflections

All right. So it's been forever, so here I am, walking shamefully back here with a new chapter. I'm suffering from severe writer's block, so any suggestions, tips, reviews, ideas, would be much appreciated. Thanks to all of the people that are still reading this after all this time.

-

7:00 AM

She rolled over and slapped her alarm clock off, groaning as she dragged herself out of bed. She looked around her room with sleep-deprived eyes, and tripped over to her closet. She got dressed, went downstairs, and collapsed at the kitchen table. She put her head down on her hands, and almost drifted back to the peaceful sleep that was so sweetly calling to her, when her mother shook her and disengaged all further thoughts of slumber.

"What would you like for breakfast, honey? Miranda's mom called, they'll pick you up in 45 minutes and take you to the camp. We'll take you home later. Would you like some eggs?"

She was perky? This early? Unbearable.

"No eggs, just sleep," the girl replied, and tried to return to her previous state of blissful unconsciousness-

"Lizzie!" At that point, the blonde decided that if she ever were to try to sleep again, it wouldn't be in the presence of her mother.

"Eat something. Why are you so tired, when did you go to sleep last night?" Jo questioned, smearing some cream cheese on a bagel, plain, not toasted.

Gordo…

The memories ad images flooded into her brain, as did the explanation of her current state of exhaustion. Had she been dreaming? Was it real? Where was he? At least someone didn't have to wake up at ungodly hours in the morning to go watch over a bunch of kids and-

"Lizzie!" her mother clucked, tapping Lizzie's forehead lightly, and handing her her breakfast, "how do things work in that head of yours?" Jo giggled at the tired, adorable look on her daughter's face.

"This early? They don't."

Jo smiled and lifted her daughter's bagel-clad hand to her mouth until the girl started eating. She looked lovingly at the girl, who appeared, though sleepy eyes, to be thinking about one thing or another. Despite the fact that her eyes were half-closed and her shirt was on backwards, her hair was less-than-perfect, and she had a drop of cream cheese on her lip, she was quite lovely.

"Go get ready, sweetie," Jo said in a soft, caring tone, with a tilted head bearing a face with an unreadable expression only a mother could muster.

Lizzie mumbled a reply, and trudged upstairs, waving a sign of acknowledgement when her mother told her that her shirt was backwards and inside out.

She went into the bathroom and splashed cool water on her face in a somewhat successful attempt to will herself out of her present state of semi consciousness. Once her brain could clearly process the idea of 'toothbrush in mouth,' her mind woke up and led itself down a sandy path. To the beach.

She remembered it perfectly; the only foggy aspect was the line between dream and reality. It was so real. It felt real, looked real, smelled real- yet she'd woken up in bed with no recollection as to how she'd gotten there.

She closed her eyes, and the scene appeared on the personal movie screen that was the insides of her eyelids. It had been dark out; it was dark, but strangely bright. The full moon and stars beamed down and reflected off the water to create a glow on all otherwise darker objects. There was a warm breeze, it was soft and gentle; not the kind that made you tense and shiver, but the kind that relaxed and refreshed you. The kind of breeze that makes the leaves rustle a lullaby, and you close your eyes and listen to it, letting the wind blow your troubles away. The water had been warm and inviting around her feet, but what stuck out most, was a pair of blue eyes, slowly coming towards her, then closing as lips met and all thoughts were put on hold.

The blonde shook herself out of her trance and finished getting ready before Miranda got there to pick her up. She went downstairs and stole a look into the living room. The ocean tumbled over itself as it made its way up and down the beach, the sun was shining, and the skies were blue, yet, inside, there was a boy that lay snuggled under a green blanket, still captive to sleep's comforting embrace. She looked at him, dreading the talk the two of them were bound to have in the near future, and wondering why people found it so necessary to put themselves into such awkward situations.

She heard the Sanchez's car pull into her driveway, so she said goodbye to her mom and raced out the door. She hopped into the car with a cheerful hello to the brunettes in the front seat, and the three of them headed out towards the camp.

Later that day, the two girls were at the pool once again, dangling their legs in the water, while the kids laughed and screamed in delight. Both girls sat in silence, watching, just pleased to be in each other's company, when Miranda finally started a conversation.

The talked incessantly about various things, movies, magazines, and Lizzie told Miranda about the interlude she'd had with Gordo the night before.

"Wow," she said, "what happened?"

"Nothing yet," Lizzie replied, "he was still sleeping when I left this morning."

"He won't be sleeping when you get back."

"I know," the blonde swirled her feet around in the pool, making ripple designs in the cool water, "what do I do?"

"Well," Miranda thought about it, "you try to talk to him, and I guess if that doesn't work you could just kiss him again."

Lizzie laughed.

"Well that wouldn't solve much."

The McGuire's returned home after driving Miranda home. Jo told Lizzie that the Gordons had gone back to their hotel to check out, and would probably be back within the hour.

Lizzie climbed the stairs to her room and sat in one of the windowsills, overlooking the beach and the setting sun for the day had come to a close, as most days do. A boy peered in at the pink room, and saw the blonde curled up by the window. Her hair was in angelic curls, blowing lightly from the sea breeze. He couldn't directly see her face, but in the reflection he could see that her head was resting against the wall, and her eyes were closed. She sat there, allowing the warm breeze to caress her face as it blew out from the ocean and the breaking waves.

He could tell she wasn't sleeping, but he didn't want to move for fear of disturbing the spell that had settled over the entranced room.

She moved slightly, eyes still closed, and he quietly walked in. she opened her eyes and looked at him while he pulled a chair over to sit next other. He looked at her, then they both turned to the water. The silence wasn't awkward; it was comfortable, as it wasn't really a silence at all, for the waves were crashing and the birds were squawking. The leaves were rustling and there was a wonderful smell coming from the barbeque underneath the window.

"You know, on the east coast, the sun rises on the ocean; it sets on the ocean here. I think I like it better," Gordo said, breaking the stillness of the room.

"You kissed me," she said softly, turning around to face him.

From the way she said it, he expected her face to be cold, emotionless. He expected her to turn around and end all of his hopes with one glare, but strangely enough, she didn't. Her head turned, followed by the rest of her body, and she looked at him. Etched upon her face was an unreadable expression' he couldn't tell if she was happy he'd kissed or her whether she'd wanted him to, but then she didn't like it-

"Gordo," her smooth voice brought him back and he looked at her. _"You kissed me."_ Right. Answer her.

"I'm sorry," he looked down into his lap, out the window, anywhere but at her.

She cocked her head and looked at him; the green eyes searched his face silently while her mind churned to figure out the reason behind his apology.

"Why?"

He looked up at her in question; she smiled at him. He grinned and they leaned forward again.


	16. Awkward Recoveries

I'm sorry it took so long, once again. I'd like to give some credit to hersheys-kisses, without whom you would have this chapter a lot later than you have it now. Also, to Ohyeah100, who seems to have read the whole thing in one go, this one is less of a cliffhanger, I hope you'll enjoy it.

-

She pulled back slowly and looked at him, a hint of wonder barely visible in her eyes. When he met her gaze she looked away and he saw her teeth bite her lower lip, the one that was still slightly flushed from the minutes before. He smiled weakly. She turned back to him and smiled lightly. The air had grown awkward and they fidgeted nervously.

"So I've known you for about four days, and I've kissed you twice," Lizzie said, running a hand through her hair.

Her statement didn't make the setting any less uncomfortable, but at least the silence was gone. He chuckled softly and had opened his mouth to say something when Lizzie's father's voice rang upstairs to signal dinner.

-

The families enjoyed themselves at dinner, like always, listening to the seagulls and the crash of the ocean, and catching up with each other because apparently they hadn't finished that yet. The two teenagers, however, were silent throughout dinner, responding only, and briefly, to questions thrown their way.

Somewhere over the course of dinner, Matt had arranged an early dismissal for all those present under the age of eighteen, and the chosen three promptly perked up and started to go inside.

"We'll go out for ice cream," he argued, "I haven't hung out with Gordo yet!"

The four adults smiled and Lizzie, Gordo and Matt happily jumped up from the table and cleared their plates. They rushed through the house without a word, like three teenagers about to encounter their first outing after two month's grounding, yet once they reached the street in front of the house, Matt announced his departure in favor of Lanny's house. Lizzie and Gordo stood awkwardly, looking at each other when they thought the other wasn't returning the glance.

"Ice cream?" Gordo offered, reverting to the original plan, though clearly trying to break the ice.

Lizzie smiled nervously and nodded. They continued in silence, the stars twinkled above, mirroring the nonexistent conversation between the two friends, almost as if they were winking down upon them.

They approached the section of town where the ice cream store was. It was quite this time of year, even though there were many stores alight with as many lights as a Christmas tree. Gordo opened the door for Lizzie, who smiled a quiet thank you before continuing inside.

They both ordered cones, chocolate and strawberry, respectively, and Gordo insisted on paying for both. They hadn't spoken since before dinner.

He opened the door again and Lizzie said "Thank you," this time before walking past him.

"Where's that park we were at the other day?"

"Over here," Lizzie pointed and they walked across the street to where a dirt path branched off of the cement sidewalk.

They didn't talk as they walked down the dirt path. Lizzie felt Gordo look at her, and she looked away, at the ground, at the trees, at the sky, just not at him.

"What are you looking at?" he asked her, trying to start a conversation.

"What?" Lizzie's head shot up as she was startled out of her reverie. "I wasn't looking at anything," she looked at him, a deer in headlights, realizing her mistake only after she'd said it.

He stopped walking. They were well into the park by then and the sun had started to set. He grabbed her shoulders and told her to look at him. She did.

"Why are you acting this way?" his voice was softened, defeated almost, as his blue eyes searched her green ones for an answer.

"I don't know," she replied just as quietly. She didn't look away from him. "It just happened so fast. I feel like I don't know you, even though I know that I do."

This time she looked away. She looked over to her side, over the lake, which was sparkling quietly underneath the setting sun. She felt small right there, at that moment; overwhelmed. She felt small next to Gordo, the boy whose chin she came up to, the boy who had not yet released her shoulders, the boy who was making her shiver and calm at the same time. She felt small near the trees that towered above them. She felt small because she was a speck of dust to the world, yet somehow she knew she was more than that to the boy in front of her, and that alone cause her to look back up at him.

He smiled down at her, and in spite of herself, she found herself smiling back up at him, closing her eyes when he tucked a blonde curl around her ear. He stroked a thumb over her cheek.

The effect was startling, to say the least. She saw nothing but black behind her closed eyelids, yet it seemed that all of her other senses had been multiplied to a staggering degree. His hand on her left shoulder seemed to mold into her, the thumb stroking her cheek sent tingles through her, and by some means she had never been more comfortable, never felt more safe or content, and for the first time that day, she found that she wasn't afraid of him anymore.

"Are we okay?" The question brought her back, and she inwardly smiled, because she finally knew the answer.

She nodded and folded her self into him. He put his arms around her and pulled her closer, rubbing her back lightly. She wrapped her arms around him and held him close, tightly, as if he would disappear if her grip was loose. He seemed to notice, and kissed the top of her head in reassurance. She dug her head into the crook of his neck.

They pulled away and walked to the lake, around it, doing nothing but talking with each other, catching up on a day of silence. Then they headed back towards Lizzie's house.

They preferred the beach.


End file.
